Come To Me
by onyxinlife
Summary: Ciel Phantomhive died years ago when he was twenty four after Sebastian took his soul. Years later, the Phantomhive line went on and with it came a girl who looks exactly like Ciel. When Sebastian finds that a lookalike exists what will he do to make her remember her past life?
1. Chapter 1

"CIEL! IT'S TIME FOR SCHOOL!"

Ciel groaned as she sat up in bed. Her boyish blue black hair was a mess and her right eye ached. She licked her dry lips and heaved the heavy blankets off her. She quickly showered and then dressed in her school uniform. Even though she was a girl, she preferred to dress as a boy during school. Her family had enough money to persuade the headmaster and teachers to let her wear the boys school uniform.

The uniform consisted of black shorts that reached three quarters down her thighs and a white shirt. A black vest was buttoned over the shirt followed by a black blazer. Then came the knee high socks and black shoes. Ciel combed her hair down and secured the eye patch over her right eye. She grabbed her bag and iPod before running down the stairs.

"Ciel, don't run on the stairs!" Ciel's aunt, Angelina scolded.

"Don't care. I'm late" Ciel said in a monotonous voice and ran out the door of the house, not bothering to close it behind her.

"Ciel, you should have breakfast" Angelina ran to the door but Ciel had already run off.

Ciel ran throughout the streets until she reached a house at the end of the block. Outside stood another boy with short blond hair and cerulean blue eyes. A happy smile came onto his face as he spotted Ciel.

"Ciel, I thought you weren't coming today. You're late" He said.

"Sorry, Alois. I had a late start" Ciel replied and Alois chuckled.

"Let's go to school" Alois took Ciel's hand and Ciel let him lead her to the school.

"I never liked you wearing a boy's uniform. It hides your curves" Alois complained.

"I have no curves to speak of and I'm not like those giggly girls who have nothing else to do except doodle boys names in their notebooks" Ciel replied.

"I heard we have a new teacher" Alois said as they walked into the high school.

Ciel stopped by her locker and pulled it open. There was nothing much inside and she pulled off her blazer and folded it. After tucking it inside her locker, she pulled out her books and iPod for class.

"What does he teach?" Ciel asked bored.

"Music and Art. He'll probably teach Dance too" Alois replied leaning against the locker next to Ciel's.

"I hate Dance" Ciel complained.

"Because you're so damn bad at it. You're lucky you have a sexy partner like me to cover up your mistakes" Alois said with a smug smile.

Ciel slammed her locker shut, making Alois yelp.

"Let's go. We'll be late for the first class" she said walking away and Alois followed her, rubbing his ear.

Ciel entered class ignoring the whispers that came as soon as she entered the room. Alois however glared at everyone who was watching them.

_She's such a weirdo. Dressing up as a guy. She thinks she's all that._

_Don't forget her crazy boyfriend._

_I heard they have sex every day after school. With bondage and all that._

Ciel's eye twitched when she heard that. Everyone thought Alois was her boyfriend, even though he wasn't. They had been friends since Ciel moved to the town and found Alois peeking from the bushes of the park at her.

"I hate them" Alois said and Ciel sighed.

"Ignore them. They'll be working for us soon" Ciel replied and Alois grinned.

Ciel pulled out her iPod and then began listening to music. She offered one to Alois but he shook his head saying that her weird music taste was way out of his league. The door opened and the homeroom teacher Ms Yvonne came in. She was around thirty three with bad, yellowing teeth because of too much smoking and limp black hair which probably would have been lustrous if she didn't use so much hair dye on it.

She left after announcements and the students dispersed. Ciel and Alois headed to Music where the room was only filled with quarter of the students. No one took Music because the teacher had been old and smelled of piss. Ciel had liked that the teacher had left them alone and she could play what she wanted. Alois just took the class so he could slack off.

"I wonder if the new teacher's coming" Alois said.

"Who cares? I'm going to play the piano" Ciel walked over and seated herself on the piano bench.

She looked down at the keys and then placed her hands on the key. She began playing the piano cover of 'Aaja We Mahiya' by Imran Khan. Alois wrinkled his nose at the unfamiliar song but he knew that Ciel had a strange but open taste in music. Ciel smiled as she played one of the songs that she liked.

She finished up and then sighed. The sound of someone clapping made her whirl around. An unfamiliar person stood there clapping. He was dressed in black slacks, white shirt and dark blue blazer. His long bangs hung around his face perfectly and his burgundy eyes stared at Ciel appraisingly.

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant" He said still clapping.

Ciel got off the bench and then bowed in thanks. The man's eyebrow quirked up at this and Ciel went to sit down next to Alois.

"Good morning. I am Sebastian Michaelis and I'll be your new music teacher. I studied at Julliard and started my teaching career at different colleges across the country. This is my first time teaching at a high school so please go easy on me" The man said with a close eyed smile.

"Sebastian Michaelis. Where have I heard that name before?" Ciel murmured while listening to the new teacher.

"So, I should get to know all of you and what instrument you play. If you're a singer too please mention that too" Mr. Michaelis said.

The students began introducing themselves and then it was Alois's turn.

"I'm Alois Trancy. I play the guitar, violin and cello" Alois said and then sat back down.

"Very well, Alois. I do enjoy the smoothness of the cello as well" Mr. Michaelis said and Alois chuckled.

"I didn't say that I enjoyed playing the cello, Mr. Michaelis. I just play it because I'm good at it" Alois said and Ciel elbowed him.

"Since it's my first day, I'll let your cheekiness slid, Alois" Mr. Michaelis said and Ciel breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want her friend to get in trouble with a teacher they didn't even know that well.

"Who's next?"

"I'm Ciel Phantomhive. I play the piano, violin, guitar, flute and I sing too" Ciel replied, standing up.

"Ciel is a rather old French name, isn't it?"

"My aunt told me I had an uncanny resemblance to my ancestor so I was named after him" Ciel replied and then sat down.

"We have a lot of instrumentalists here but only one vocalist. When I teach music, I usually give students an assignment for the week. At the end of the week, I grade the student on how well they perform the assignment. The assignment is completely random since I make everyone pick from a hat" Mr. Michaelis said.

He produced a hat with several chits of paper folded inside. He offered the hat to each student and they picked out chits. When it came to Ciel there was only one left which she reluctantly picked out.

"You have the entire week to do the assignment and you will perform on the assignment given. You can work here during the week and I'll be here to assist you during the class. Open up the chits and start brainstorming"

Ciel opened up her chit and there was a word written on it. "Anxiousness" she read and then furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Mine's got Blind Hatred" Alois said.

"Can we switch? I can relate better to Blind Hatred to Anxiousness" Ciel asked.

"Sure" they exchanged chits and Ciel bit her lip in thought.

What did Mr. Michaelis want from this assignment? How would you express blind hatred in a song? Maybe not in a song but maybe an instrumental piece? Ciel thought over the instruments she could play and then smiled. She knew exactly what to play for the assignment.

The bell rang and the students got up to leave. Ciel didn't spare a glance at the new teacher but instead took Alois's hand and dragged him out of the class as soon as possible. She didn't understand why but she got a weird feeling from the new teacher as soon as she had met him.

Sebastian slumped against the desk and closed his eyes. That kid, no that girl looked so much like his master, it scared him. The exact same face, the exact same voice, the exact same color eyes and the name was also the same. Sebastian opened his eyes as he remembered the song the girl had been playing. It had been unfamiliar but it had been soothing. Ciel played like an expert unlike her male ancestor.

Sebastian could still remember that day.

_"I'll die when you take my soul. Elizabeth is pregnant as well" Ciel said as he smoked a cigar._

_"Yes, Master. Do you not wish to leave her?" Sebastian asked._

_"My line will live on but I won't. Sebastian, in honor of our contract, protect Elizabeth until the child is born" Ciel replied._

_"As you wish" Sebastian leaned forward and then felt the familiar hunger catch him._

_The dead body of Ciel Phantomhive slumped against the chair and Sebastian wiped the blood off his lips. He cleared up the blood and then left the room._

Sebastian had taken the soul but he didn't realize that an exact copy of his master would turn up centuries later. The next class of students came in and Sebastian composed himself, ready to teach another class. The mystery would have to wait till later.

Ciel tapped her mechanical pencil against the wooden desk. She was bored out of her mind. World History had never been her favorite subject. She leaned her hand on her palm and looked outside. Her eye zeroed on Mr. Michaelis who was seated on a bench outside and was petting a cat. Ciel noticed the almost tender look of his face and slight flush on his cheeks.

The Mr. Michaelis looked up and looked directly at Ciel. Ciel didn't move but kept on staring at him

"Mr. Phantomhive!" the teacher called and Ciel ignored him.

"Ciel" Alois elbowed her and she turned to the infuriated teacher.

"Detention Mr. Phantomhive" The teacher wrote something on a pink slip of paper and placed it on Ciel's desk.

Ciel tucked the slip into her book and the bell rang. Alois giggled at the fact that the teacher couldn't even tell that Ciel was a girl. Ciel got up and Alois followed her out.

"Claude packed me an apple with sandwiches. I told him to pack yesterday's cake for you too" Alois was saying as they walked down the hallways.

"Which cake?" Ciel asked looking bored but her mouth was watering at the sound of cake.

"Black forest. Your favorite right?" Alois replied and Ciel nodded.

Alois opened his locker and pulled out a lunch box. Ciel's eye widened at the delicious cake and opened it up.

"It looks heavenly" Ciel said with a large smile.

Then she felt someone slam into her. The lunch box fell from her hands and fell to the floor. It bounced and the cake fell with a splat onto the tiled floor of the hallway.

"Oops sorry, freak!"

Ciel whirled around to see the school bully Amber smirking down at her. Amber was the most popular girl at school and she was a junior. She was known as the best looking girl in the entire school with long blond hair and beautiful blue eyes.

"You made me drop my cake" Ciel said in a low voice.

"Yeah so what? What are you going to do about it freak?" Amber asked, her eyes glinting dangerously.

"You don't know what I do to people like you, do you?" Alois asked, his eyes narrowed.

"No I don't. Are you going to cry to your parents? Oh right, I forgot, you don't have any!" Amber replied with another smirk.

"You bitch!" Ciel pounced and grabbed Amber's hair.

"Get off me you freak!" Amber screamed.

Ciel pulled on Amber's hair hard enough that a few locks tore out. Amber reached out and scratched Ciel right on her pale cheek, enough to draw blood.

"Hey, hey, hey!" a pair of arms were wrapped around Ciel's waist and pulled her off Amber.

"Let me at her!" Amber shrieked as she was being restrained by Mr. Matthews, the school counselor.

"Disperse!" Mr. Michaelis who was holding Ciel shouted at the students who had gathered around.

"Into my office, girls" Mr. Matthews said, letting go of Amber.

"She jumped me first!" Amber said.

"Only if you hadn't brought up my parents, bitch!" Ciel said and then hissed as the pain from Amber's scratches registered in her mind.

"Okay, okay. Both of you inside and Mr. Trancy, I want an account from you since you were there" Mr. Matthews said.

Ciel wriggled out of Mr. Michaelis's grasp and sat down on a chair in Mr. Matthews's office. After Alois recounted the incident, Amber was given detention for two months. Ciel began wiping off the blood from her cheek with the tissues on Mr. Matthews's office.

"You should not have reacted, Ciel" Mr. Matthews said and Sebastian began to listen. It seemed like Matthews knew Ciel personally.

"She mentioned my parents. I don't like it when someone insults my parents" Ciel replied throwing tissues in the bin.

"You should restrain that anger in you, Ciel. It isn't healthy to bottle up your feelings. Maybe you could find something to release that negative energy?" Matthews suggested.

"I have my music and my singing. Nothing else matters. I don't need you or anyone" Ciel stood up and stalked out of the office.

Sebastian's eyes narrowed as Ciel wrapped her arms around Alois's waist and hugged him. Alois wrapped his arms around her shoulders and led her away.

"Has she always been this...?" Sebastian's voice trailed off, trying to find the correct word to describe Ciel.

"I've known Ciel since she was a little girl because she would come to this town to visit her Aunt Angelina. She was a happy cheerful child. Then I heard of her parent's death in a house fire and she moved here. She dressed in black and darker colors and her eye was covered in that eye patch. She became quieter but more stubborn than any other person I've ever met" Matthew explained.

'She sounds more and more like my Young Master by the minute' Sebastian thought to himself before going to his other classes.


	2. Chapter 2

_I will not stop moving, and I won't regret the steps I have to take. So this is an order to you! Never betray me! Never leave my side. Ever._

_Yes my Lord._

Ciel shot up in her bed with sweat running down her back. What was that dream? That was her voice and someone else's. She got out of bed and pulled out a notebook and pen. She quickly scribbled down what she had heard in her dream.

"Never betray me. Never leave my side. Ever" She murmured and then shut the notebook.

She crawled back into bed and let the dream take over her mind. In her dream it was still for a moment and then when those words were spoken, the wind had begun to blow. She grabbed her rarely used phone and then texted Alois.

_Can't sleep. You awake? - Ciel_

A few minutes later the phone buzzed.

_No, a zombie answered this text, ;). Bad dream?- Alois._

_Yeah, not a bad one, a really weird one- Ciel._

_Oww, listen to some music to sleep- Alois._

_Thanks, A. If that doesn't work, I'll study- Ciel._

She set her phone down and began listening to some music. Then she got bored and began to study. Outside her window the sun rose and Ciel heard her aunt wake up. She stretched and went to shower. She dressed in her school uniform and headed to Alois's house. Outside, watering the plants was Luke, Alois's little brother.

"Ciel!" Luke abandoned the water hose and ran to hug Ciel.

"Hey little man, how're you doing?" Ciel lifted up Luke high into the air and Luke let out a laugh.

"I'm great. I don't see you much anymore" Luke said wrapping his arms around Ciel's neck.

"Where's your brother?" Ciel asked looking around.

"He's right here" Alois said coming out of the house.

"Let's go, we'll be late" Ciel said.

"Bye Luke" Alois ruffled his brother's hair and took Ciel's hand like he did every day.

They entered the school where yet again whispers surrounded them especially since Ciel had the fresh scratches from Amber's nails on her cheek.

"Ignore them" Alois whispered and Ciel nodded.

Their first class of the day was Dance which Ciel was willing to ditch but since she had missed it yesterday, she didn't want to get the wrath of Mr. Michaelis.

"Ciel, since everyone was paired up yesterday, you'll be with me for the remainder of the month" Mr. Michaelis said and Ciel whirled around to glare at Alois.

"He didn't want me to sit it out since you weren't there. So I got Emily as a partner" Alois said with a shrug.

Ciel was afraid to say the least. She was horrible at dancing but Alois was a good lead who could cover up her mistakes enough to give her a passable grade for the class.

"Partner up, today we'll be practicing the waltz" Mr. Michaelis said once the students were done with their stretches.

Ciel stood awkwardly in front of Mr. Michaelis. She was only five foot three but he was at an impressive height of six foot.

"Follow my lead" Mr. Michaelis said and Ciel placed her hand on his shoulder and allowed him to place a hand on her waist.

"One, two, three, four, twirl" Mr. Michaelis demonstrated for the class and Ciel was twirled around and then back in the position when they first started. Ciel could feel the glares of the jealous girls in the class.

"Let's all do it" Mr. Michaelis said.

The class stood ready and then Mr. Michaelis began counting. Ciel was twirled again and then heard a scream as two girls stumbled out of step and onto the floor. Alois had twirled Emily into his arms and then dipped her.

"Mr. Trancy, stop fooling around. You two, stand up. Dave, Shun, the girls are not rag dolls" Mr. Michaelis scolded.

Ciel found herself in Mr. Michaelis's arms again and then he started counting. Soon the class had it down and Mr. Michaelis brought out a few dips and moved around the room to complete the lesson. Ciel extricated herself from his arms and walked over to where Alois was talking to Emily.

"Alois, we'll be late for Music" Ciel said tugging on his arm.

"I'll be there. Go in without me" Alois said waving her away.

Ciel nodded and went out of the class. She ignored the pinprick of tears in her eyes. Alois had never told her to go to class without him. Now he was busy talking to stupid Emily Benson who was dumber than a flying fruit fly.

"You're early, Ciel" Mr. Michaelis said from his desk in the music room.

"You were just in the dance room, how did you get here?" Ciel asked staring at the teacher.

"I walked" He replied with a smirk and Ciel frowned.

She plopped down on her seat and pulled out her iPod. She put it on shuffle and began listening to music to drown out the chatter that came from the hallway. Sebastian looked up as Ciel began humming under her breath. Even from the humming, Sebastian could tell that Ciel was a good singer.

"Ciel?"

Ciel ignored him and closed her eyes, totally absorbed within the music. Sebastian chuckled and continued his paperwork but still took more than occasional glances at his Young Master's lookalike. The class began trickling in one by one or in pairs but Sebastian noticed many of them took one look at Ciel and then took a seat as far away from her as possible.

"You all should start working on what I gave you yesterday. If you need me I'll be right here" Sebastian said.

He sat back down and then saw Ciel looking through sheet music. Alois had not shown up to class at all but she didn't seem entirely affected by it. She continued to browse and then pulled out a few songs she might be able to work with. Then Alois came running into the room, his hair disheveled and his tie undone.

"You're late, Mr. Trancy. Detention" Sebastian said and Alois shrugged it off.

Alois sat down next to Ciel and they chatted as they normally did. Sebastian ignored them and continued his work. Ciel sighed as she put the sheet music back. Nothing was near enough the instrumental she wanted to play.

"I want you to play the electric guitar with me. When should we practice?" Ciel asked.

"Today I guess, we both have detention so we'll go to my house after" Alois replied.

They finished the day's classes and Ciel served an hour of detention. She went outside the school and waited for Alois. He came out soon enough and they went to his house.

"I'm back!" Alois shouted and Ciel chuckled.

"Welcome home, master" Claude, the butler said to Alois.

"Alois!" Luke came out of the sitting room where he had been doing his homework and hugged his brother.

"Hey Luke" Ciel said.

"Ciel!" Ciel laughed when she was immediately glomped by Luke.

"We have homework to do so we'll be upstairs. Claude, bring us some soda and snacks. Don't forget something sweet for Ciel" Luke said and then dragged Ciel upstairs into his large bedroom.

"I love your room. It's all black and eerie purple. My aunt would never let me have the walls painted black. She says it's not nice for a girl to be so morbid" Ciel said flopping down on the bed.

"Your aunt's better at cooking than Claude" Alois pointed out and Ciel nodded.

"Pardon the intrusion" Claude said and then entered the room.

"Today's cake is chocolate with vanilla cream and raspberry icing" Claude announced and Ciel grabbed the plate of cake.

"Claude, pack the rest of the cake so Ciel can take it home. Luke and I won't eat it anyway" Alois said to Ciel when he saw the protesting look on her face.

"So let's practice" Alois said and Ciel nodded, having finished her cake.

Over the next few days, Ciel spent her evenings outside in the backyard. Her dog, Damon sat down at her feet. Damon wasn't allowed inside since Aunt Angelina had an allergy to dogs and Ciel absolutely loved him enough to keep him even if her aunt didn't want him.

"Who's a good dog?" Ciel asked scratching Damon behind the ears making him growl with affection.

The phone rang inside the house and Ciel ran to answer it.

"Hello, Durless residence, Ciel Phantomhive speaking" she said.

"Ciel, its Mr. Matthews. Your aunt and I had a few after dinner drinks and she is kind of too tipsy to drive, I hope you'll be okay until she comes home. She's in my apartment with some coffee" Matthews said.

"Yeah sure, I don't mind. Tell her I'm fine. Take care of her" Ciel said and then hung up.

She called the pizza restaurant and ordered a small pizza for herself. She watched TV and then the doorbell rang. She opened the door a crack with the chain still in place and then was surprised to see Mr. Michaelis.

"Sir, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I was just passing by when I saw a man with pizza heading to your place. I paid him and decided to drop by" Mr. Michaelis replied.

"Oh, thanks" Ciel opened the door and then held out the money for the pizza.

"No need to pay me back, take your pizza" Mr. Michaelis said holding out the box.

"Thanks. Um, would you like to come in?" Ciel asked.

"If it's not a problem. Where's your aunt?"

"She'll be home late" Ciel replied.

Sebastian looked around when he entered the sitting room. The house was a two story bungalow like all the other houses in this street. It had a pleasant homey feeling to it and there were books everywhere accompanied by the scent of sugar and sweets. Apparently the female Ciel loved sweets as much as the male Ciel.

"Would you like something to drink, sir? I have coffee and tea" Ciel asked.

"Tea will be fine, Ciel thank you" Sebastian replied and then smiled. This Ciel was more polite than her male counterpart.

"I heard the Phantomhives were rather rich" Sebastian said.

"I'm the only living heir. I will receive my inheritance when I turn eighteen. I'm still sixteen" Ciel replied.

"And the mansion in the outskirts of London?" Sebastian asked curiously.

"My father had it converted to a museum. It's actually the only source of income that is open to me. The businesses are taken care of by my aunt" Ciel replied.

"I see" Sebastian took a sip of the tea and smiled. Ciel could make a fine cup of tea.

The doorbell rang and Ciel rushed to open it.

"Ciel!" Aunt Angelina hugged her niece and Sebastian entered the foyer.

"Aunt Angelina, I'm fine" Ciel said tugging himself away from his aunt's embrace.

"Oh who is this? Just because I'm coming home late doesn't mean you should bring your boyfriend home" Angelina said with a smile.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Ciel screamed.

"I am her teacher, Sebastian Michaelis" Sebastian said.

"Oh you're too young to be a teacher" Aunt Angelina said slyly.

"Mr. Michaelis you should go now" Ciel said and Sebastian left.

"Oh Ciel you're so rude" Angelina complained and Ciel stalked to the kitchen to finish her pizza.

**Wow, I never really knew this story would get really good feedback from everyone. A big thank you to my first four reviewers EmberRoseMichaelis, missjayne76, VampireSiren and promocat and also to all those who put this story on alert.**

**Onyxinlife.**


	3. Chapter 3

_May I have the honour of this dance, My Lord?_

_The first step is always with the heel. Next is a natural turn. Put your foot forward, as if you were skating._

_Rather than saying you lack the talent for dancing, it is probably better to call your skills abonimable, Young Master._

Ciel let out a gasp in her sleep as the voice echoed in her dream.

_It's because you're too big!_

She shot awake at the shout that she had uttered many times before to Alois. Her excuse for not being able to dance well was because all men were bigger than her. She wiped the sweat from her brow as different emotions ran through her body. First fear and then grumpiness, irritation and then finally snapping. She whirled her hand in the empty hair and smacked it against the bed post.

She hissed in pain and then got out of bed to run her hand over cold water. Ciel stared at herself in the mirror. The voice that heard in her dreams was so familiar. The answer was right there but Ciel couldn't find it, frustrating as it was. She sighed and turned off the water. With a towel wrapped around her hand she went to write down what she had just dreamt in her notebook.

She sat down and pulled her laptop closer to her. For her World History term paper she was writing about the history of King Gongmin and the fall of the Goryeo dynasty in Korea. She began reading and typing the main points she wanted to cover.

Sebastian clicked away at the school computer in the main office. He found Ciel's file and printed it out. Then after erasing every trace of ever taking the document, he left the office to go to his classroom. He began reading carefully. Ciel had started being a student here since she was fourteen. She had been closed off and quiet in class but she was brilliantly intelligent.

"Just like Young Master" Sebastian murmured.

Then came the list of her offences. Shoplifting, fighting, carjacking and playing wicked pranks on many different girls and she was accompanied by Alois Trancy in each of those offences.

"She cut a girl's hair off? Ciel, are you mad?"

However these offences seemed to died down since the new school year began. Apparently Ciel had been going to therapy sessions with Matthews around this time so she had become more docile than cruel. Sebastian nodded and closed the file. He tucked it into his briefcase and left the classroom.

"Alois, what are you doing?" Ciel asked when she entered the Music classroom.

"Looking through Mr. Michaelis's bag" Alois replied and then he quickly skimmed through a bunch of papers.

"It's performance day, Alois we need to practice. We're done with sneaking and pranking, remember?" Ciel said.

"I'm done rehearsing. What other chance do we have to get something on this teacher?" Alois asked and then pulled out a file.

"Yeah you're right. What'd you get?" Ciel hopped up onto the desk and swung her legs.

"He has a file on you, Ciel. Look" Alois opened the file and showed it to Ciel.

"A file on me?" Ciel's eyes widened and she closed the file.

"He's such a spy!" she shoved the file back into the briefcase and then pulled Alois back to their seats.

"You look mad" Alois commented.

"I am mad. How dare he!" Ciel's voice reached an octave higher.

Ciel fumed and the rest of the student came in. Mr. Michaelis came in last and Ciel glared at him any chance she got. The students began their performances but Ciel ignored them, preferring to glare at Michaelis instead.

"Ciel, you're next" Sebastian said as Alois finished his impressive cello solo.

"I'd like Alois to help me with this instrumental" Ciel said and sat with a guitar without waiting for an answer from the teacher.

Alois sent a smirk at Sebastian and sat down with an electric guitar. The instrument that followed made Sebastian take a step back. Ciel was pouring all her emotion into this. It truly fit her word which was 'Blind Hatred'. After she was done, Ciel left the guitar on the floor and grabbed her bag. She stalked out of the classroom and didn't look back.

"Okay, that was great. Class dismissed" Sebastian said and the students left, the first being Alois Trancy.

Ciel ran up the stairs to the school rooftop and then sat down in a corner. She didn't know why she felt so angry and betrayed at the fact that Mr. Michaelis had seen her file.

"You thought that he would try to get to know you first before reading about what you've done" Alois said coming to sit down next to Ciel.

"Yes, I thought that. But I was wrong. It's useless to trust people these days" Ciel replied and then leaned her head on Alois's shoulder.

"It's okay. You have me, remember? You don't need a stupid teacher" Alois said and Ciel smiled up at her best friend.

They left the school rooftop and then went to the school art room. Alois enjoyed art and he usually painted in the art room during lunch and Ciel would join him. Sometimes they would play around with paints or even dance around the room singing. This time Ciel sat by herself eating while Alois painted.

"What's that for?" She asked, her mouth full.

"Mr. Michaelis gave us an assignment of what's the most precious thing to us. So I'm painting you, my best friend" Alois replied not looking at her.

"Oh, Alois you're so sweet" Ciel stood and wrapped her arms around Alois's waist from behind.

"It's not a big deal, Ciel. You're always going to be my best friend" Alois said turned around.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Alois"

"Maybe blow up like Krakatoa" Alois replied with a cheeky smile and Ciel flicked her finger against his forehead making the blond yelp.

"I'm not going home with you tonight. I have to work" Ciel said letting go of Alois.

"Explain me why you enjoy working at the Undertaker's?"

"It's fun and he's too funny to be creepy" Ciel replied with a smirk.

After school, Ciel turned the opposite direction to the Undertaker's shop. Since Ciel had met him after the funeral of her parents, the Undertaker had taken her under his wing and taught her the arts of being an undertaker. Ciel had enjoyed being in that dark, dank shop with the concentrated scent of chemicals and rotting bodies.

"You're back again, Earl" The Undertaker said and Ciel shook off the dreaded feeling that came whenever Undertaker called her Earl.

"Why do you call me that?" Ciel asked but the Undertaker chuckled in his own way and showed her the work for the day.

Sebastian was speechless when he saw Ciel enter the Undertaker's shop and greet him like an old friend. What was the Undertaker doing here? Why did Ciel come to his shop? Sebastian leaped onto a nearby rooftop and looked through the window of the Undertaker's shop. Ciel was inside, washing a dead body. Sebastian reeled back and then chuckled. The little lookalike enjoyed the dead, did she?

After a few hours, Ciel left the shop. Sebastian waited until she turned the corner before jumping down and opening the door of the Undertaker's shop.

"I've been expecting you, butler" Undertaker said washing his hands in the sink.

"I didn't realise you had shifted your shop here" Sebastian said.

"I shifted here after the funeral of the Earl and Lady Phantomhive. I couldn't leave my little Earl alone" Undertaker said.

"She is not him"

"But she is and you know it. You were there at the funeral and you saw her dressed just like him when our Earl's beloved aunt, Madame Red died. I daresay you've been popping up to visit her but she doesn't know it"

Sebastian nodded and the Undertaker cackled.

"You've been looking for him all this time" Undertaker laughed.

Sebastian hung his head as he let the memory take over him.

_He crept up the window and climbed into the bedroom. There, sleeping in a little crib was the newest addition to the Phantomhive clan. A little girl born on November 18th. Sebastian walked toward the crib and then noticed the baby was awake. She looked up at the demon and then gave him a smile._

_"My my, you should be sleeping" Sebastian picked the child up in his arms and she giggled._

_"So naughty. Just like Young Master" Sebastian rocked the baby for a while and then placed her back in the crib._

_The baby was asleep before he even placed her in the bed._

"Isn't she the Queen's Dog now?" Sebastian asked curiously.

"Her aunt refused the title when the little Ciel's parents died. It's now up to Ciel to take up the title if she so wishes to" Undertaker replied.

"The Queen agreed to let her go that easily?" Sebastian asked.

The Undertaker chuckled but didn't reply and Sebastian walked out of the shop.

Ciel tossed in her bed as another dream plagued her mind. This time, it was her parent's funeral.

_"Such a pity. The girl's only fourteen" A woman said._

_Ciel stood next to her aunt with no tears. She was tired of it. The sad whispers, the pity hugs, the disgusting food and most of all the fact that she couldn't cry at her parents death. She moved her gaze from the grave and then to the crowd. Then she spotted someone in the shadow of a large tree._

_"Aunt, who's that?" Ciel asked gesturing to the man._

_"Maybe an acquaintance of your father, Ciel" Her aunt replied and Ciel nodded._

_The strange man wasn't in the funeral crowd but he stood farther away from everyone else, his face hidden in shadows._

Ciel's eyes opened and she sat up. Grabbing her notebook, she quickly wrote down what she had dreamt. Then she closed the notebook and crawled back into bed not noticing the shadow of Sebastian Michaelis seated on her windowsill.

**If anyone wants to hear Ciel's instrumental piece then type Blind Hatred Loveless OST on google. A video from Youtube should come up.**

**Onyxinlife**


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm going to the library; I'll be back by noon!" Ciel called out before she ran out of the house on Saturday.

She jogged to the library and sat down in a corner with her books around her. It was still eight in the morning and no one was in the library at that time save for the librarian who was also yawning. She opened up her laptop and began typing her report. There was no sound except for the clicking of keys or the flicking of pages.

Finally Ciel finished the report and saved the file. She stood to return the books to the shelf and then wandered around looking for something to read. She looked at a huge tome which the title was 'England's Ancient Families'. She pulled the tome out and returned to her table. She opened the book and coughed when dust assaulted her nose.

She read through the contents until she found Phantomhive.

_Ciel Phantomhive (1876- 1900) was born in London, England. He was born to Lord Vincent Phantomhive and Lady Rachel Phantomhive nee Burless. Ciel Phantomhive is described to have blue black hair, large blue eyes and a lean physique. He was married to Lady Elizabeth Midford, daughter of the Earl of Scotoni._

_They had one child before Lord Ciel passed away due to natural reasons. After his death, Lady Elizabeth took the reins of the company and raised their son who was named Victor. Lord Ciel lost his parents at the age of eleven to a house fire and he had been kidnapped during the fire. However, he returned a few months later with a butler by his side who took the position of his protector_

_After his death, the butler who is said to be named Sebastian sent gifts to all of his Lord's acquaintances and then disappeared a month after Victor Phantomhive was born._

_Lord Ciel Phantomhive also held the impressive title of being the Queen Victoria's Guard Dog, a title which all the Phantomhive Family heads retain. According to many Lord Ciel was the most successful out of all the Queen's Guard Dogs, many times beating Lord Alois Trancy to solving the crime._

Ciel's eye twitched as she finished reading. Her namesake had a butler named Sebastian? There weren't any pictures but the portrait back at the mansion turned museum showed that Ciel looked exactly like her ancestor especially after the death of her parents. And Alois was also an enemy of Ciel. Interesting. She closed the book and returned to her home.

Her aunt was out to work so Ciel took the train to the London countryside. She walked to the museum and then smiled. She was home. The museum was empty today and she walked inside easily.

"Ms. Phantomhive, I did not know you would be here today" The curator, Mr. Endfellows said with a wrinkled smile.

"I just stopped by, sir. I'll just wander around for a bit before leaving" Ciel said politely

She walked up the stairs and then smiled at the portrait of her ancestor's parents, Rachel and Vincent Phantomhive. Then came the portrait of her ancestor. She grinned and bowed low to the portrait.

"How are you today, grandfather?" Ciel asked and then pretended that the portrait was saying something to her.

"I'm doing great at school. There's a new teacher who has the same name as your old butler. Strange coincidence isn't it?"

"I beat up Amber this week. I know, I shouldn't have done that but what could I have done? You had Sebastian to destroy anyone who crossed you but I don't have anyone so I fight my own battles" Ciel said to the portrait.

Her ancestor stared down at her with a smirk and Ciel chuckled.

"What was life back then? You lived alone with Sebastian in this mansion. You probably went on exciting adventures with Sebastian as the Queen's Guard Dog"

The portrait just smirked and Ciel chuckled.

"I'll see you later, grandfather" Ciel walked down the stairs and out of the museum.

After the museum, Ciel decided to pop by the Undertaker's shop. She slammed the door wide open and spotted a guy with really long red hair seated on a coffin. The guy spotted her and fell off the coffin.

"Who are you?" Ciel asked confused, walking towards the guy.

"Get away! You're supposed to be dead!" the guy said scrambling away and banging against the wall. A skull fell from an overhead shelf and right onto the guy's head.

"Are you okay?" Ciel asked and the Undertaker walked out from the backroom.

"I see you've met Ciel, Grell" The Undertaker chuckled and Grell ran to hide behind Undertaker.

"Who's the freak?" Ciel asked.

"How dare you call a lady that!"

"I don't see a lady in here" Ciel said and Grell burst into tears. Undertaker cackled.

"You're going to laugh while she insults me? What kind of boyfriend are you?" Grell whined.

"He's your boyfriend? Figures" Ciel commented.

"There's no work for you today Earl. You can just hurry along home" Undertaker said.

"Okay" Ciel grabbed a couple of biscuits and then left.

She rode the train home and then decided to nap for a bit. The minute she fell asleep another dream assaulted her.

_Ciel stood in the crowd right on the other side of a red carpet. A small woman wearing black all over and a veil covering her face passed Ciel and she was led by a man dressed in white with silver hair._

_"England's mother, Queen Victoria has graced us with her presence!" someone shouted and Ciel stepped forward._

_Then a blond man dressed in white began to sing. Ciel began singing along with the man like the rest of the crowd._

_"God save our gracious Queen, long live our noble Queen, God save the Queen. Send her victorious, happy and glorious, long to reign over us, God save the Queen"._

Ciel's eyes opened and she let the dream wash over her. She was there in the crowd but she wasn't really there. Right now Queen Elizabeth had the reign but she had dreamt of Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria had lived during the time of Ciel Phantomhive in 1889. But why was Ciel dreaming of herself in her ancestor's time?

"Ciel, I'm home!" Angelina called out.

"Hey auntie" Ciel said emerging from her room.

"Next month is your parent's death anniversary so we're doing the annual Phantomhive history tour again" Angelina said.

"I have to dress up again don't I?" Ciel asked.

"You look exactly like him. I still need to find someone to play the butler" Angelina said.

"It would help if we knew what he looked like" Ciel pointed out.

"Oh anyway, rehearsal is after school so you should come straight to the museum" Angelina said.

On Monday, Ciel reached the museum on time. Inside there were a lot of people who all volunteered to prepare for the tour which would happen this weekend.

"Look at this Ciel, isn't it gorgeous?" Angelina asked holding out Ciel's costume.

It consisted of blue shorts, white shirt, black vest and blue overcoat that reached mid thigh length.

"It is nice" Ciel admitted taking the clothes in her hands.

"Now go change. I found someone to play the butler and he'll be here soon" Angelina said.

Ciel changed quickly and then wore the overcoat and top hat. She grabbed the walking staff and walked out to the main area. Everyone turned to stare at her and then glanced at her twin in the portrait.

"Good afternoon. I am Ciel Phantomhive, nice to meet you" Ciel said tipping her top hat and then staring at everyone.

"Excellent!" Angelina said clapping.

"Young Master, let me take those" A familiar voice said and then the top hat was taken off of Ciel's head.

She looked around and was shocked to find Mr. Michaelis in a butler outfit, holding her top hat.

"You're playing the butler? But what happened to Claude?" Ciel asked.

"Claude was rather busy so Sebastian volunteered for the role" Angelina replied.

Ciel frowned at this and Sebastian chuckled at the familiar expression.

"So first in the tour will be Ciel Phantomhive's bedroom where Ciel will wake up and Sebastian will ready him for the day. Then the second will be the breakfast and then the study room. After that dinner and then Ciel will return to sleep. Understood?" Angelina explained.

Ciel sighed as she pretended to sleep in the bed.

"Young Master, it is time to wake up" Sebastian said opening the curtains and letting the sunshine come in.

Ciel sat up and stretched.

"Today for breakfast we have smoked salmon. Scones and French toast have been prepared for accompaniment. Which one would you prefer?"

"Scones" Ciel replied.

Sebastian came forward and lifted up Ciel's nightshirt. Then he dressed Ciel and handed him a cup of tea. Ciel drank the tea and then was taken to the dining room. Sebastian smirked as he mimicked the actions he had done centuries ago. The rehearsal went along perfectly and then Ciel fell asleep in her bed and Angelina concluded the rehearsal.

Ciel shot out of bed immediately and ran a hand through her hair, cursing as her fingers got stuck in the hair gel.

"Do you do this every year?" Sebastian asked and Ciel nodded.

"I do it for my parents" She replied and then walked off to change.

She emerged dressed in shorts and a loose tee shirt. Sebastian wrinkled his nose. Those clothes weren't even fitted properly to Ciel's body frame and they looked horribly old.

"I suppose she is different from Young Master in terms of clothes. Young Master enjoyed having the finest tailored clothes" Sebastian muttered and then went to change out of his own costume.

Ciel sighed as she walked through the darkened streets. Her aunt had decided to stay back at the museum but Ciel had left quickly. Then someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into a darkened alley.

"What do we have here? A little girl" A sleazy looking man said.

"Boss, she's kinda cute. You know the smallest ones have the most passion" Another said.

"Let me go. You don't know who I am" Ciel said wrenching her arm out of the man's grip.

"Oh I don't care. All I want is to take you right back and hear your screams" The boss said and then grabbed Ciel's face turning her to face him.

Ciel closed her eyes and then felt a rising panic. These men were serious. She took a few steps back and her back met the wall.

"Nowhere to run, little kitten" The boss said coming more and more closer.

"SEBASTIAN!" Ciel shouted and the boss slapped her.

"Be quiet, bitch" He said and Ciel glared at him.

"SEBASTIAN!" she screamed as loud as she could and there was a scream from behind the boss.

The boss whirled around and his eyes widened at the sight of his dead accomplice.

"You're next" Sebastian said and the boss's arm twisted in a horrific way.

The boss screamed and Ciel stared at the way the man fell to the floor unconscious.

"How did you know to come here?" Ciel asked in a shaking voice to Sebastian.

"If my master calls me, I come immediately. No matter what the case" Sebastian replied with a hand over his heart.

Ciel's eyes filled with tears and she ran towards Sebastian. Sebastian stood still as Ciel's arms wrapped around his waist and her head landed on his chest.

"I was so scared, I've never been that scared in my entire life" Ciel cried against Sebastian's shirt.

Sebastian wrapped his arms around Ciel's thin shoulders. "I'm here for you, Young Mistress. Now and until forever".

Ciel peeled her head off of his chest and stared up at him with her one blue eye. Sebastian brushed off the blue bangs that were falling into her eye and Ciel hugged him even more tightly.


	5. Chapter 5

Ciel woke up the next day in her bedroom. For once, her sleep was devoid of dreams and nightmares. She suddenly felt complete for once. There was a sense of peace in her mind. Then she remembered what had happened the night before. She had nearly been raped and Mr. Michaelis had saved her. She had shouted his name.

'No I didn't call for him. I called out for Ciel Phantomhive's butler. The great protector who stood by Ciel's side until he died and Victor Phantomhive was born' Ciel mused as she went downstairs and grabbed a slice of cake that Claude had given her.

She munched on the cake as she went upstairs and then stopped short. Mr. Michaelis had told her that if his mistress called he would come immediately no matter what the case. Why had he said that? Ciel set down the plate of cake and fork on the bedside table before sitting down on her bed. It couldn't be a coincidence that Sebastian had turned up right when Ciel had called him, could it?

"Argh!" Ciel threw up her hands in frustration.

She finished off the cake and got ready for school. Alois was waiting for her as usual and his mindless chatter distracted Ciel from her thoughts. They walked into the music room and sat down in their usual seats.

"Today we're doing something different. All of the music students will be working in the school play this semester. The play is in three weeks so everyone has to practice hard" Sebastian said.

The class seemed excited at this but Ciel looked disgruntled at the sound of a play.

"The play will be Shakespeare's Hamlet" Sebastian announced and the class seemed even more excited at this.

"I don't want to do any play. I hate working with everyone" Ciel complained and Alois chuckled.

"Why don't you try out? You're great at acting" Alois asked.

"The freak of the school acts in school play. Yeah right" Ciel replied and saw Mr. Michaelis's hat heading their way.

Alois pulled out his chit and then Ciel grabbed the last chit from the hat.

"I got violin" Alois said.

"Cello" Ciel said and they switched chits like they always did.

"Report after school to the auditorium for rehearsals" Sebastian said and then dismissed the class.

"Ciel, stay back" Sebastian said just as Ciel was about to walk out the door.

"I'll wait by your locker" Alois said and he left.

The class emptied until only Ciel and Sebastian were left.

"How are you doing after last night?" Sebastian asked.

"Fine, I guess. It was lucky that I called out for Sebastian and you were right there" Ciel replied with a nervous chuckle.

"Who were you calling for?" Sebastian asked.

"I was calling out for my ancestor's butler. Silly, I know. He must be dead already but I really thought he would come and save me" Ciel replied rubbing her arm uncomfortably.

"It's not silly. It was instinct and everyone should rely on their instincts" Sebastian said.

"I should be going, I'll be late for World History" Ciel said and she ran out of the classroom.

Sebastian sighed and leaned her head on his hands. When Ciel had called out for him, he had moved on instinct to save his master. But it wasn't his master calling him, it was his lookalike mistress. He wondered if Ciel had ever had any memories of her past life. Probably not, since she didn't even notice that the description in many history books showed that Sebastian the butler and Mr. Michaelis looked exactly alike.

Ciel hurried into her World History class and submitted her report on the fall of the Goryeo dynasty. She sat down next to Alois and instead of listening to the teacher, she began doodling in her notebook.

"Mr. Phantomhive!" The teacher shouted and Ciel looked up.

"Yes sir?" she asked in a dull voice.

"Pay attention!" the teacher said and Ciel nodded.

Ciel sighed and continued doodling. Soon enough she had drawn a picture of herself in one corner of her empty notebook page. She sighed and began rubbing it out only to have the eraser fly from her hands and hit the teacher right at the back of the head. Ciel quickly looked down at her empty notebook so as to escape the teacher's wrath.

"Who threw this?" He asked annoyed.

Ciel said nothing and neither did the rest of the class.

"Phantomhive!" The teacher suddenly yelled, his face beet red.

"Yes sir?" Ciel asked with a poker face.

"Detention after school" The teacher said and Ciel groaned.

"Guess you won't be able to attend rehearsals today" Alois said.

"I never wanted to" Ciel shot back and then glared at the back of his teacher's head.

Sebastian assembled the orchestra and then noticed a space empty.

"Where's Ciel?" He asked.

"She got detention, sir" One girl replied and Sebastian sighed.

"We'll continue without her then. Mr. Trancy, please inform Ciel to come by half an hour early tomorrow so I can rehearse with her before she joins the group" Sebastian said.

The rehearsal went on and Sebastian soon concluded that the orchestra was perfect. They just needed Ciel to make it even better than it was supposed to be. He walked out of the empty auditorium and then began walking down the hallway to exit the school. He stopped short for a moment when he saw Ciel in a classroom. He entered the classroom and then saw what was written on the whiteboard.

"Detention, four to six pm" Sebastian checked his watch and then saw it was already seven.

"Ciel, detention's over" Sebastian said and a snore was his answer.

He chuckled and then took Ciel's bag. He picked her up gently, bridal style and began walking out of the school.

_On behalf of Her Majesty, and by my own dirtied name, I order you; dispose of them!_

_Yes my Lord!_

_At this moment, my body and soul, to the last hair, belong to my master. As long as the contract exists, obeying his orders is my duty as a butler._

Sebastian glanced over at Ciel who was twitching in her sleep.

_Red, it was red everywhere._

_It splattered the walls, the dirty ground and then the body of the dead woman who was also dressed in red._

_Madam Red, how beautiful you were dyed crimson, covered in your victims' blood. I loved you so._

"No, don't kill her" Sebastian parked his car on a side street and then turned to Ciel.

"Red...everywhere" Ciel murmured and Sebastian shook her shoulder.

"Ciel, wake up" Sebastian said and Ciel's eye shot open.

"Where am I?" Ciel asked looking around wildly.

"In my car. You fell asleep at school so I decided to take you home. Did you have a nightmare?" Sebastian asked.

"No. Just a really weird dream" Ciel replied.

"Come, I should take you home" Sebastian began driving to Ciel's home.

Ciel didn't speak but began thinking about the dream. This time there was a new voice in her dreams. It sounded strange like it couldn't belong to a man or a woman. Also there was all that red in her dream that was sickening.

"We're here Ciel. I'll see you tomorrow" Sebastian said.

"Thanks" Ciel got out of the car and entered her home.

Sebastian drove off and entered his own apartment in the city. He sat down at his computer and typed in the name 'Ciel Phantomhive'. A few pages popped up mostly old newspaper articles

'Phantomhive family heads die in house fire leaving daughter as sole heir' Sebastian read and then clicked on the link. The article opened and a picture of Ciel came up first. Sebastian's eyes widened. Ciel was dressed in a blue dress and had long waist length blue black hair. Her right eye was still covered with an eye patch but it was hidden behind her long bangs.

"She looks beautiful" Sebastian murmured staring at the picture.

He began reading the article and then saw the picture of what Ciel looked like after the funeral. Her long hair had been cut up and it transformed her into her ancestor Ciel Phantomhive. She also was wearing loose clothes in the picture and her frown was plain visible to everyone.

"And so she turned into my master" Sebastian tutted and then began finding articles on the Phantom group.

The company had expanded a lot since he had been a butler for them. It was now one of the world's largest conglomerates and was in competition with the Trancy group. It was said by one reporter that if the two groups joined together, their profits would fly through the roof. Ciel was a very lucky girl to be close friends with Alois Trancy.

_The small, white-haired dog is a good dog,_

_The black dog is a bad, disobedient dog._

Ciel groaned as she woke up from her sleep again. This time the dream was different. Usually it was just someone speaking up this time she could see herself tied up to chains and about to be attacked by ravage dogs. And then someone had come out of nowhere and thrown all the dogs away by the swipe of his arm.

Ciel shivered. No one she knew had great strength like that. Except...she looked out the window. Mr. Michaelis had got rid of those men yesterday so easily. No one would have been able to do that. Ciel sighed. This was a mystery to be solved. How exactly had Mr. Michaelis become that strong? He was lean but he didn't look like he had that much muscle.

She sighed and tucked herself into bed. There was no point in straining her brain over this.


	6. Chapter 6

"And we meet again, Sebastian" Claude said leaning against the wall in Sebastian's living room.

"I knew you would find me sooner or later, Claude" Sebastian said from the large armchair he was seated in.

"Better me than that red haired reaper. He's got a whiff that you're back in London" Claude said.

"Have a seat. Red wine?" Sebastian asked holding out a bottle.

"It's been a long day" Claude said accepting the glass of wine.

"I heard you're taking care of the Trancy brat. To think that those two would come back but as friends" Sebastian said, taking a sip of his wine.

"History sometimes doesn't repeat itself. Alois has repressed the evil side of himself quite well since Ciel became his friend" Claude pointed out.

"Just like us. We have started tolerating each other but I doubt we'll ever be friends" Sebastian said.

"Has Ciel started to remember?"

"I suspect she has. Just flashes but she doesn't understand and I don't wish for her to remember me at all" Sebastian replied.

"She will one day. Before that, it's better you tell her" Claude said.

Sebastian sighed and looked out the window at the city. Somewhere in the city Ciel would be seated at her desk in her room, biting the top of her pencil trying to figure out a solution to her math problems.

Ciel had finished her homework a long time ago, instead she was learning the song that the students had practised for the orchestra that afternoon. She sighed as she hit the wrong note again and then gave up. She packed up her violin and then heard a knock at the door. Angelina went to open the door.

"Oh, Mr. Michaelis how nice of you to stop by" Angelina said with a giggle.

"Good evening, Ms. Durless. I'm actually here to see Ciel. Is she home?" Sebastian asked and Ciel appeared from her room

Sebastian's nose wrinkled at the sight of Ciel dressed in loose shorts and a tee. Her hair was disheveled and her eyepatch had been hastily put on.

"I'm truly sorry to disturb but I was wondering if Mr. Trancy had informed you about meeting me earlier after school to rehearse your solo for the school play" Sebastian said.

"No he didn't, thanks for telling me sir. You can go now" Ciel said running a hand through her short hair.

"Ciel, you're so rude. Why don't you stay for dinner Mr. Michaelis?" Angelina asked, batting her lashes.

"I'm sorry but I was already invited out to dinner by an old friend of mine. He'll be sorely disappointed if I don't join him" Sebastian replied.

"That's great" Ciel said and Angelina shot her niece a scolding look.

"Maybe some other time? How about on Friday?" Angelina asked.

"Of course. I'll be here around seven if thats okay?"

"It won't be a problem. See you then"

Sebastian walked out the door and Angelina blushed like a schoolgirl.

"He's just so devilishly handsome, isn't he Ciel?" Angelina asked.

"I don't see anything in him" Ciel replied and then went back to her room.

Ciel sat on her bed and scoffed at how her aunt was acting. She didn't think Sebastian was that attractive. Yeah maybe his smooth silky hair, pale skin, lean body and demure voice was pretty attractive but other than that he didn't really have a great personality that attracted women to him. Ciel shook off these thoughts. Why was she even thinking of Sebastian that way?

_Passion to calm, hesitation to resolve, love to gravestones. That is the Trancy butler._

_I have only you._

_There's only you left in my world. Hoheo taralna, rondero tarel! Don't leave my side. Ever! Claude. You yourself are... My highness!_

Alois opened his eyes, his heart beating wildly. The dream had been so vivid and clear. He could hear himself begging to... Claude?

"Master, are you alright?" Claude asked opening the door to Alois's room.

"I'm fine" Alois said sitting up and running a hand over his face.

"You're sweating and out of breath" Claude produced a cloth and began wiping down Alois's face and neck.

"Claude, how did my parents know you? How did you get here?" Alois asked suddenly.

"That is something I do not want to answer" Claude replied, standing up.

"This is an order! Answer me!"

Claude didn't answer but simply began to walk out of the room.

"You're my highness, Claude! Answer me!" Alois screamed and Claude froze at the sound of those familiar words.

He turned and Alois smiled in succession. Claude took a few steps forward and hugged the blond to him.

"Master, you've finally begun to remember" Claude said hugging the blond tightly to his body.

"Remember what? What are you talking about, Claude. I can't breathe!" Alois said wriggling out of his butler's grasp.

"Remember the way you summoned me to you. How I never realised how much I needed you. How you fell so deeply in love with me that it cost you your life in the end. How I used you as a means to meet my ends. How long I've waited for your return, Master. Tell me you remember all this. Tell me you still love me as much as you used to" Claude said holding Alois's face in his hands.

"What are you talking about? Get away from me!" Alois pushed Claude away and crawled under the covers.

"Master..." "Get out! Don't show me your face until tomorrow!" Alois ordered and Claude retreated.

After the door slammed shut, Alois's shoulders shook as his sobs racked his body.

The Undertaker was busy wiping off yet another body when he heard the door of his shop open. It couldn't have been a burglar since who in the world would rob an undertaker? He peeked out just in time to have a long red-haired reaper embrace him.

"Grell? Is it really you?" Undertaker asked in shock.

"It sure is!" Grell replied and Undertaker began to cackle loud enough for the tenants in the other buildings to wake up from their sleep.

"Great, I finally come back from my three week stint with William to meet my lover and he laughs at me. I shouldn't have even come back" Grell complained with a pout.

"Oh I'm sorry but..." The Undertaker panted for breath. "To see you after all this time brings back the time you pickled me in salt. That still makes me laugh after all this time".

"I should pickle you in salt again" Grell said and the Undertaker wrapped his long arms around the redhead from behind.

"Oh no, no kisses for you" Grell said folding his arms.

"Please?" The Undertaker made a puppy dog face while batting his large eyes and Grell caved.

"I always cave" Grell complained between hungry kisses.

"Because you love me" Undertaker replied and then moaned when Grell nibbled at his earlobe.

Ciel stood on the stage in the auditorium waiting for Mr. Michaelis. She didn't want to face him but she had to if she didn't wanted to fail her class.

"I thought you wouldn't show up" Sebastian said walking into the auditorium.

"I had to" Ciel replied and then shouldered her violin, ready to play.

Sebastian watched Ciel carefully as she played. She paid attention to details and tried her best to make it perfect. The students started coming in and soon rehearsals were in full swing again. Sebastian kept an eye on Ciel but she ignored him and chatted more to Alois who seemed to be dejected about something.

"I'm fed up with your moping! What happened? Did Claude do something to piss you off?" Ciel asked.

"Yeah. Like he always does" Alois replied sullenly.

"Hey, are you coming to the Phantomhive tour on Saturday? You've never missed it since I moved here" Ciel asked.

"Yeah I'll come. Only because your ancestor and mine were sworn enemies" Alois replied wrapping an arm around Ciel's slim waist.

"I can't believe they're having the stupid tour thing again. It's so lame. I don't even know why people pay money for it" Amber said loudly from her locker.

"My favourite part of the tour is the ball at the end of the day. One lucky girl gets picked to dance with the dashing butler Sebastian" Amber's friend Ursula said dreamily.

"Amber's obviously going to be there because she wants to dance with Mr. Michaelis" Alois said as he led Ciel away.

"We always dance together. You have to save me your first dance" Ciel said looking up at Alois and Alois chuckled.

"I think this year will be a little different, Ciel" Sebastian said as he passed the two students in the hallway.

"What did he mean by that?" Ciel asked.

"I wonder" Alois shrugged.

Ciel turned to stare at Mr. Michaelis but he had already turned the corner, out of sight. Alois tugged at her arm and she turned around, ready for another class.

**Thank you for all your suggestions. I really enjoyed reading and I'm currently writing them up to see how they fit in the story. This chapter is more filler but the next chapters have a lot of action. Until then, review!**

**Onyxinlife**


	7. Chapter 7

Sebastian chuckled when he heard a scream from inside the Durless residence. It was no doubt Ciel who had screamed.

"You should wear a dress at least today" Angelina's voice came floating out from Ciel's balcony.

"No, I'm not wearing a stupid girly dress. I hate them!" Ciel screamed and there was sound of clothes being ripped off.

Sebastian sighed and closed his demonic hearing. It was wrong to eavesdrop especially on his young mistress. At ten minutes to seven Sebastian emerged from the car and knocked on the door. Angelina opened the door, all smiles dressed in an elegant body hugging red dress and offered him a glass of white wine.

"Ciel, come out of your room. Mr. Michaelis is here" Angelina called up the stairs.

Ciel emerged and Sebastian gaped at her. Ciel's usual loose fitting clothes hid her figure, but this tight fitting dress showed off the curves Ciel actually hid from everyone. Angelina had obviously clipped hair extensions for Ciel. Now Ciel's hair was more mid back length and her sharp face looked more softer with the longer hair.

There was also a small smile on her face which made Sebastian smile as well.

"Good evening Ciel" Sebastian said.

"Good evening sir" Ciel replied quietly.

Ciel gritted her teeth as she heated up the food and placed it in the dining room table. Her aunt's girlish giggles could be heard from the sitting room. First of all, Ciel had been forced in a dress and then her hair had been styled as well which she didn't like at all. Out of all that, Mr. Michaelis had been nothing but polite to her aunt. Smarmy bastard.

"Dinner's ready" Ciel announced and the adults stood up.

"Oh we're all out of wine. Ciel, why don't you be a dear and go buy some from the convenience store" Angelina said.

"I'm a minor, they won't sell any to me" Ciel replied and Angelina sighed.

"I guess I'll go and buy some. I'll be right back, Sebastian. You two can start dinner without me" Angelina grabbed her coat and rushed out the door.

Ciel led the way to the dining room and then sat down immediately. She kicked off her heels which were making her feet ache and downed an entire cup of tea in one gulp.

"You seem a bit off today"

"Well I never wanted you over in the first place. I didn't want to wear a stupid dress and I didn't want to style my hair and I don't want to watch you take my aunt's flirting!"

"Why?" with that word Sebastian was out of his chair and leaning over Ciel.

"Because I don't like you" Ciel replied.

"Why don't you like me, Ciel?" Sebastian asked, his face inches away from Ciel's. She blushed at the proximity.

"Because when you came here I started getting weird dreams. Before I was confident in what I supposed to be doing. Now you're messing it up. You're messing my entire life up. Everything you do catches my eye. Everything you say echoes in my mind. I can't even sleep now thanks to you!" Ciel said staring into Sebastian's burgundy eyes.

"Dreams? What kind of dreams?" Sebastian asked.

"Dreams of myself telling someone not to leave my side. Sometimes I'm telling someone not to kill someone else. And sometimes I even see a pack of hunting dogs attacking me. I don't understand a thing and I can't even sleep in fear of those dreams. I hate this and I hate you!" Ciel was gasping for breath after her rant.

"I suppose there's no way to tell you the truth. The dreams you've been having are actually flashbacks of your past life"

"Past life? Like Aang the airbender?" Ciel asked.

"Your past life looks exactly like you do, the elder Ciel Phantomhive" Sebastian replied.

"So what I'm dreaming are the things Ciel Phantomhive has experienced? He actually had hunting dogs attacking him? He saw a woman being murdered in front of him?" Ciel asked.

"He was only attacked but his faithful butler Sebastian saved him" Sebastian replied.

"How do you know all this?"

"Because I am that loyal and faithful butler Sebastian"

Ciel stood up and pushed Sebastian away from her.

"Are you crazy? How can you be Sebastian? He died years ago" Ciel asked.

"Sebastian was a demon and he's standing in front of you. I've been searching for my master for years and I finally found his reincarnation but it turns out to be my mistress. I have been keeping an eye out for you since you were a baby" Sebastian replied.

"You're such a creep! How can you be that Sebastian?"

"Because I know what's hidden behind your eye. There's a mark on your eye that emerged when you were eleven. I have the very same mark. This proves that I am that demon Sebastian whom your ancestor made a contract with"

"Prove it" Ciel challeged and Sebastian held up his hand.

He dug his nails into his skin and peeled it off.

"Is that fake skin? Why do put that on your skin? That's disgusting!" Ciel asked.

"To hide this" Sebastian peeled off the skin and revealed the Faustian mark on the back of his hand.

Ciel's eyes widened and her hand reached up to untie her eyepatch. The eyepatch fell to the floor and she lifted her bangs up to reveal the same mark on her eye.

"I didn't know my ancestor had this as well" Ciel whispered.

"It was never recorded since everyone thought that when he was kidnapped after the fire, his eye had been injured" Sebastian replied.

"I finally found you, Young Mistress" Sebastian said with a smile.

"Who else knows about this, Mr. Michaelis?" Ciel asked, examining the mark on his hand.

"Call me Sebastian. Claude knows and I guess no one else. Do you know anyone who knows about this?"

"Claude knows about this? How did he know?"

"Claude is a demon as well. He served Alois Trancy back when I served Ciel Phantomhive. We were sworn enemies but now we've at least learned to tolerate each other" Sebastian replied.

"So Alois is also remembering his past life like me?"

"I suppose so but he never really liked speaking about his troubles just like back in the 19th century" Sebastian replied.

Ciel nodded and then looked up at Sebastian. She lifted up her hand and placed it against his cheek. Sebastian blinked and Ciel smiled.

"I'm not alone anymore, Sebastian. I have you now" Ciel said and Sebastian nodded.

He bent down on one knee and took her hands in his.

"Young Mistress I promise you, I will never leave your side. Now and forever" Sebastian kissed her knuckles and a blush rose on Ciel's cheeks.

The doorbell rang and Ciel snatched her hands out of Sebastian's.

"Ciel? Sweetheart, I forgot my keys" Angelina said loudly from outside.

Sebastian quickly retied the eyepatch and Ciel rushed to the door and opened it.

"You wouldn't believe the line at the store. Did you finish eating?" Angelina asked.

"Yeah, I've had enough. Mr. Michaelis is still eating though" Ciel replied.

"Oh good" Angelina went into the dining room and Ciel went to her room.

She contemplated calling Alois but then decided not to. If what Sebastian said was true then Alois would be having or possibly start having the strange dreams she was having. Then her phone rang shrilly.

"Alois?" Ciel said into the phone.

"Can you come over? I need you" Alois said and Ciel stood up.

"Are you okay, Alois? Where are Claude and Luke?" Ciel asked.

She put the phone on speaker and took off her dress.

"Luke's asleep and Claude's in the kitchen. Ciel, I think I'm going crazy" Alois replied.

"I'll be right over, Alois. Give me ten minutes" Ciel pulled on a pair of jeans and a blue sweater.

"I'm going to Alois's house. I'll probably sleep over too!" Ciel said to her aunt while she was tying her converse.

"Be careful, Ciel. Keep your phone on you at all times" Angelina said and Ciel ran out the door.

She ran as fast as she could all the way to Alois's home. She knocked and a surprised Claude answered the door.

"Claude, where is Alois?" Ciel asked.

"In his bedroom" Claude replied moving aside to let Ciel in.

Ciel ran up the stairs and opened the door to Alois's room. Alois was seated on the bed, dressed in sweatpants, his chest bare. He looked up when Ciel came in, his blue eyes full of tears. Ciel sat down on the bed next to him and wiped away his tears.

"What's the matter? Why are you crying?" Ciel asked.

"I'm having dreams, Ciel. Dreams of me being a monster. I dream that I literally gouged a woman's eye out. I whipped her and tortured her. And then I remember loving someone so much that I couldn't even survive without them. I'm going mad just by remembering all this and it makes me feel like throwing up" Alois replied.

"Alois Trancy, you are not a monster. You never were and you never will be. I've been having dreams too"

"You too?"

"Yeah, I dream of dogs attacking me. I dream of seeing Queen Victoria in the flesh. I dream of fires blood and so many other things I probably don't even remember"

"Do you know what it means?" Alois asked.

"I'm dreaming of my ancestor's past life. What he went through, I'm dreaming about it as well"

"So the dreams I'm having is about my ancestor Alois Trancy?" Alois asked.

"I guess so. Do you remember I told you about my ancestor's protector?"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"I found him, Alois"

"That's impossible. He should be dead"

"We have the same mark"

Ciel untied the eyepatch and opened her eye. Alois gaped at the mark and then poked out his tongue to show Ciel the golden Faustian mark.

"Where is my protector then? The great butler who witnessed the death of Alois Trancy?" Alois asked.

"He's right here" Sebastian said climbing through the window of Alois's room.

"You're my protector?" Alois asked.

"No, he's mine" Ciel jumped up and held up Sebastian's hand to show the mark.

"Your protector is your butler Claude" Sebastian said.

The door of Alois's room opened and Claude stood there, his face blank.

"You told him" Claude said to Ciel.

"If I didn't, he might have killed himself by now. I had to tell him" Ciel replied and Claude took a step forward.

Sebastian stepped in front of Ciel, ready to protect his mistress.

"Is this true Claude? Are you really the butler of Alois Trancy?" Alois asked.

"Yes Master, I did not realise how much I needed him until he died in front of me" Claude replied.

"Claude, I..."

Alois's sentence trailed away as Claude embraced the blonde. This time instead of struggling, Alois embraced his butler and Claude sighed in relief.

"Sebastian, how did you get here?" Ciel asked.

"I quickly took my leave since I had a feeling you would need me" Sebastian replied wrapping his arms around his mistress's waist.

"Didn't all the Trancy family heads have positions by the Queen?" Alois asked, much later as he munched on s'mores that Claude had made.

"Yes. Ciel is known at the Queen's Dog but her position was refused by her aunt Angelina" Sebastian replied.

"Auntie rejected the position? Why? That's my job in exchange for my title as Countess Ciel Phantomhive" Ciel asked.

"She probably didn't want you to be in danger" Sebastian replied and then shook his head at Ciel's offer of s'mores.

"But it's my choice not hers!" Ciel protested.

"She wanted to protect you Ciel. I guess that didn't work since you were reunited with your butler" Alois said.

"She even took the businesses and my title. How dare she?" Ciel asked outraged.

"My businesses are being taken care of by Claude. If you want, you can merge our businesses together. After all, you're the rightful heir. And then when we turn eighteen we can control our businesses" Alois said.

"That's a great idea" Ciel admitted.

"I can take care of both family businesses if you wish, Lady Ciel" Claude said.

"That problem can be solved but what about our titles? We were supposed to be the Queen's Dog and Spider but now we're nothing. I'm supposed to be the Earl of Trancy and Ciel is supposed to be the Countess Phantomhive" Alois said.

"We can ask for our titles back" Ciel suggested.

"The title of the Queen's Dog was rejected by Angelina. If Ciel wants it back, then she will have no problem asking for it" Sebastian said.

"Mine was removed because of my father's death. I can ask for the title as well" Alois said.

"Very well then. Compose a letter, Sebastian and send it to her Majesty. Explain to her the situation and tell her I wish to have my title returned. I will also return to my duties serving her as soon as possible" Ciel said.

"Same for me, Claude" Alois said.

"Yes My Lady"

"Yes Your Highness"

**This chapter is dedicated to missjayne76 whose reviews inspired me to write this in an hour. That's a hell of a record me for me.**


	8. Chapter 8

Two weeks later found Ciel and Alois at Alois's home studying for their final exams. Luke was asleep in his room and Claude frequently checked on his master every half an hour. Both were brilliant students but like every student, hated revising and studying.

"I wish exams never existed" Alois said and Ciel whacked him with her World History book.

"What was that for?"

"For wasting time wishing on pointless things" Ciel replied, looking back down at her books.

"Ciel, what happened when you told your aunt about merging the business?" Alois asked curiously.

"I didn't tell her. I think she'll decide that she doesn't want me anymore. I don't want to lose her" Ciel replied, her eyes downcast.

"You can always come and live with me. Luke would love to have you and Sebastian could be over anytime he wanted" Alois said.

"No, I had another idea. I want to start living in that mansion outside London"

"Isn't that the museum? But then you won't have any money to live on" Alois said.

"You forget that Claude controls the Phantom group now. My money is mine now. The mansion is mine too so I can do whatever I want with it" Ciel said.

"So you'll convert the museum into a mansion and live there with Sebastian?"

"He'll be my butler and protector. That's what he wants to be but because I lived with Angelina, he couldn't do anything. Why don't you, Claude and Luke come to live with me?" Ciel asked.

"Really? I do have my own mansion you know"

"I know but you're my best friend. Also, if we are getting our titles back, shouldn't we live together too?"

"You're right. I'll ask Luke first if he wants to and then I'll tell Claude about it" Alois replied.

There was a knock at the door and they both looked up.

"Young Mistress, time to go home" Sebastian said.

"Yeah I'm coming" Ciel stood up from where she was lying on the floor and packed up her things.

She hugged Alois and then made her way out to Sebastian's car. After she was seated, Sebastian drove off to her house. The house was dark and Ciel crept inside slowly. After entering her bedroom, she opened the window to let Sebastian in.

"I have something for you" Sebastian said and Ciel glanced over at him curiously.

He produced a letter and Ciel knew what it was. A letter from the Queen. She took it with shaking hands and opened it up. As she read it, a smile came onto her face.

"I got my titles back!" Ciel said looking up at Sebastian who also had a smile on his face.

Ciel tackled her butler and they both tumbled onto her bed. Sebastian, caught off guard starred at his mistress's large and sparkling blue eyes in surprise. Ciel smiled but then realized the position they were in. She blushed a deep red which Sebastian thought was quite cute.

"Sorry, I just got carried away" Ciel apologized and Sebastian wrapped his arms around her small form.

"It's alright" He said and Ciel blushed even more when she felt the vibrations in his chest when he said this.

Sebastian brushed Ciel's bangs away from her blue eyes and cupped her face.

"Ciel, you're truly beautiful" Sebastian whispered which made Ciel smile.

"You're very handsome too, Sebastian" Ciel said and then twirled her finger around a lock of his black hair.

Sebastian sighed and held Ciel close to him. It had been a long time since he had actually held anyone in his arms and he sorely missed it. They stayed like that until Ciel began to snore. Sebastian chuckled and sat up. He tucked Ciel into bed and then sat down on her windowsill like he did every night.

The next day, Ciel woke up in her bed. She dressed for school and met Alois right outside his house. The minute they walked into school, Ciel felt something hit the back of her head. She reached up and felt something sticky in her hair. She withdrew her hand with disgust and Alois glared at the laughing students.

"Who threw the egg?" Ciel asked in a cold voice.

"I thought it would bring some color to your hair, freak. Apparently not" Amber said and she threw another egg.

"Ms. Windsor!"

The crowd of students parted for Matthews.

"Bullying is not allowed at this academy. To the headmaster's office with you" Matthews said and Amber stalked off.

"Let's go clean this off" Alois said and he led Ciel to the girl's restroom.

He followed Ciel inside and leaned against a stall door while Ciel starting clean her hair.

"I'll smell like an egg all day" Ciel complained.

"I don't feel like going to class today. Let's ditch and go celebrate having our titles back" Alois said.

"Okay"

"Will you give me the pleasure of your company for the day, Countess Phantomhive?" Alois asked holding out his arm.

"Of course, Earl Trancy" Ciel took Alois's arm and he led her out.

They snuck through the school hallways until they reached the back gate of the school. They ran past the security guards and out the gate.

"So where should we go?" Ciel asked, her cheeks flushed from running.

"First, we should change out of these. Let's stop by my house and I'll change. You still have the clothes from last week when you slept over. Take a shower too. You stink" Alois replied and jumped when Ciel poked his side.

They got to Alois's house and Ciel ran to shower.

"Master, you should be that school right now" Claude said poking his head out from the kitchen.

"Oh, we're ditching. Wanna come?" Alois asked.

"I suppose I should" Claude removed his apron and Alois chuckled at how pristine he looked in his butler uniform.

"Go change into something else. Maybe jeans and a shirt" Alois said waving the butler away.

Alois ran up the stairs and changed into black skinny jeans and a white tee shirt with a black leather jacket. He grabbed black converse and ran down the stairs to find something to eat. Ciel emerged from the shower and dressed quickly in black three quarter length jeans and a blue loose tee shirt.

She went down the stairs and smacked right into Sebastian's chest.

"Playing hooky?" Sebastian asked.

"What are you doing here?"

"Claude called me saying you two were up to no good. What kind of butler would I be if I didn't accompany my mistress on this silly mission?" Sebastian replied.

"But you have to change out of your work clothes. No offense, but you're kind of giving off an old adult vibe" Ciel said.

"Ready to go?" Alois asked walking out of the kitchen.

"Nearly" Ciel said going back upstairs to comb her hair.

"I'm ready, Master" Claude said.

He was dressed in blue jeans and a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

"Claude, give Sebastian some clothes" Alois said.

Soon everyone was ready to go. They piled into Sebastian car and Alois called shotgun leaving Ciel in the backseat with Claude.

"Should we go shopping first? We need outfits for the Phantomhive tour ball" Ciel said.

"To the mall it is, then" Alois said.

Sebastian drove to the mall and parked. Alois and Ciel linked arms and ran into a boutique that sold formal wear. Sebastian and Claude followed at a more leisurely pace. By the time they got there, Ciel and Alois had already started picking out dresses.

"This is so girly, yuck!" Ciel announced when Alois held out a bright pink dress with ruffles and bows.

"Maybe this one?" Claude held up a black dress with golden bows and a long train.

"Too much for my taste" Ciel replied.

"It's a ball, the dress has to be fancy" Alois said.

"How about this?" Sebastian pulled out a midnight blue dress which matched Ciel's blue eyes.

It was floor length and sleeveless with a corset bodice and the skirt was layered with satin and sheer net.

"This is beautiful" Ciel said walking towards Sebastian who held the dress aloft for her to check it.

"Go try it on!" Alois said.

While Ciel was changing, Claude pulled Alois to get fitted for a suit. Sebastian stood outside the changing room for his mistress.

"Sebastian? Are you outside?" Ciel asked from inside.

"Yes, Mistress. Is there a problem?"

"Can you zip me up?"

Ciel opened the door and Sebastian entered inside. Ciel pointed to the zip and Sebastian reached out. Ciel shivered when his cold hands touched her pale back and smoothly zipped her up.

"How does it look?" She asked shyly looking at him.

Sebastian looked at the reflection of Ciel in front of him and nodded.

"It's looks beautiful, mistress" Sebastian said.

"Really?"

Sebastian placed his hands on his mistress's bare shoulders and bent down to her height.

"You look absolutely ravishing" He whispered and smirked when she blushed redder than a tomato.

"Come, let's show Alois" Ciel coughed and Sebastian led her out.

"This is the perfect dress" Alois answered after he examined her from head to toe.

"Indeed" Claude agreed.

"Then I'll take it" Ciel said.

They left the shop and Alois's stomach growled.

"We should stop for lunch" Claude said.

"I'm in the mood for Indian" Alois said.

"I hate spicy foods" Ciel said.

"Then we'll get you something sweet" Alois said and he ran to the nearest Indian cafe.

"Let's go before he makes everyone in that cafe go crazy" Ciel said and chased after him.

They sat at a table and Alois perused the menu.

"What is this?" He asked in disgust.

"What?" Ciel read over her shoulder and then smiled.

"Sebastian, do you know something known as curry bun?" Ciel asked and Sebastian smirked.

"Do you?" Alois asked.

"He's the one who invented it back in the 19th century" Ciel replied and Alois waved over a waitress.

"Two curry buns" Alois said and the waitress hurried off.

"Look, the chef's in there" Ciel pointed to the see-through window where a Indian man with white hair was taking different spices and adding them to the pot.

Alois and Ciel watched the chef wide eyed and the waitress came over with the curry buns.

"Can we meet him?" Ciel asked pointing to the chef.

"Of course. I'll just call him over" The waitress went into the kitchen and Ciel took a bite of the delicious curry bun.

"Hi, I am Jai. You guys wanted to see me?"

"We just wanted to tell you that this curry bun is delicious" Alois said.

"It's so amazing" Ciel said.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to Agni who had the hand of the Goddess Kali would you?" Sebastian asked.

"He is my great grandfather. I am the only one out of his grandchildren who has inherited the hand of the Goddess Kali" Jai replied.

"That brings back memories" Sebastian commented after Jai left.

"Didn't the Phantom Company expand into food after obtaining the royal warrant from the Queen?" Ciel asked.

"That's why Phantom owns most of the supermarkets in UK" Alois replied.

"Wow, my ancestor was amazing. I pale in comparison" Ciel said looking down at her half eaten curry bun.

"Everyone has their weakness and strengths. I'm sure you'll live up to his expectations" Claude said and Ciel smiled at him in thanks.


	9. Chapter 9

"How do I look?" Ciel asked as she stood tall in her costume for the Phantomhive tour.

"Just like your grandfather" Claude replied and Ciel grinned.

"Except he rarely ever smiled" Sebastian pointed out and Ciel frowned.

"Now you look exactly like that" Alois pointed to the sneering portrait of Lord Ciel Phantomhive at the top of the stairs.

"The tour will be starting soon. Ciel, you need to be in the bedroom right now" Angelina said.

"We'll see you later" Alois said walking away with Claude.

Sebastian and Ciel entered the bedroom and Ciel climbed into the bed. This place seemed so familiar to her that it scared her.

"The first group is coming" Sebastian said from the doorway.

Ciel nodded and quickly feigned sleep. The door opened and she heard the chatter of different people.

"Welcome to the Phantomhive estate. I am Sebastian Michaelis, the butler of the House of Phantomhive. I am here to give you a demonstration of how my master would spend his day at the manor" Sebastian began.

He turned and then began the act.

"Master, it is time to wake up"

Ciel opened her eyes and then sat up.

"Today's breakfast is smoked salmon with fresh salad. French toast and scones have been prepared for accompaniment. Which one would you prefer?" Sebastian asked.

Ciel stretched and then replied. "Scones"

Sebastian walked over to her and pulled off her long nightshirt. There were giggles from the girls but Ciel didn't blush. She was wearing a long vest and boy shorts underneath so she felt no embarrassment. Sebastian dressed her and then stood up straight.

"I shall wait for you in the dining room then, my Lord" He bowed and turned to the audience.

"We shall await you in the dining room" Sebastian said and Angelina led the crowd away.

Sebastian went off and Ciel opened the door to enter the dining room where the group had already been assembled.

"Today, Mr. Houston from the Poseidon Company will be coming to visit you. After that Lady Elizabeth will be coming to visit you" Sebastian read off and Ciel nodded.

After breakfast they fowarded it to when Elizabeth arrived to visit Ciel.

"Lady Elizabeth, daughter of the Earl of Scotoni was the fiancee of the Earl of Phantomhive and both loved each other very much. They were married when they both turned eighteen and had a child. Unfortunately, Lord Ciel passed away before the birth of his child" Sebastian narrated.

Ciel bowed low and kissed the hand of the girl who had been chosen to play Elizabeth. Her name was Regina. She was cute with blond curls and she was fourteen. Her large green eyes also made her the perfect person to play Elizabeth.

"Would you dance with me, My Lady?" Ciel asked and Elizabeth nodded.

As they danced, Ciel could remember the exact steps and turns her ancestor had made in the hall. 'Awws' could be heard from the women in the audience. After that scene, Elizabeth left and they forwarded the tour to the night scene. Sebastian undressed Ciel and then Ciel went to sleep.

"That concludes our tour of 'A Day with Ciel Phantomhive'. We hope you enjoyed this and we welcome you for tea in the main hall. Thank you for joining us"

Sebastian bowed one final time and the audience applauded. After they left, Ciel quickly dressed in her costume again. She had to meet the group after the tour as part of the program. Sebastian set the top hat on her head and she entered the main hall with Sebastian by her side.

"Mommy, look, it's Lord Ciel!" one small girl said pointing to Ciel.

Ciel smiled and headed over to her.

"Hi there, what's your name?" Ciel asked.

"Emily"

"Well, Emily did you enjoy the tour?"

"Yeah, Elizabeth is so lucky that she got a prince like you. I wanna marry someone just like you when I grow up" Emily said.

"You're so adorable" Ciel said pinching the girl's cheeks.

"Can she have a picture with you?" Emily's mother asked.

"Of course" Ciel wrapped her arms around Emily and smiled. The picture was taken and Ciel was besieged by many other people who wanted pictures. When Regina came into the room, the excitement grew tenfold. Ciel posed for even more pictures with Regina before the tour officially closed. After the day was over, Ciel collapsed on the bed exhausted.

"I forgot how tiring this was" Ciel said.

"You still have the ball to get to" Sebastian reminded and Ciel groaned.

"Lord Ciel, are you here?" Alois asked with a teasing smile.

"Yeah I'm here" Ciel replied and Alois came in with Claude.

"We're going to the ball together right? I've told them to announce us with our titles. Then we'll announce that we've joined the companies and that you're going to convert the museum back into a mansion" Alois said.

"I haven't even told my aunt about the mansion yet"

"What better way to tell her?"

"I guess so but let's go get ready for the ball" Alois grabbed Ciel's hand and dragged her out.

Ciel quickly dressed in her outfit and her aunt came over to do her makeup and hair. Her aunt didn't say a word about the tour Ciel stayed quiet until her aunt was finished.

"Let's go!" Alois said holding his arm out. Ciel took his arm and they stood at the top of the stairs waiting to be announced.

"Earl Alois Trancy II and Countess Ciel Phantomhive" The man announced and the best friends stepped forward.

Ciel smiled as Alois led her down the stairs. Everyone there stared and Ciel smirked when she saw Amber's jealous face.

"Let's dance" Alois said.

Ciel danced with Alois but kept her eye on Sebastian who was dressed in a black suit and his blue shirt matched the color of her dress. Claude was standing uncomfortably right next to him and didn't really look at anyone.

"Claude looks nervous" Ciel pointed out and Alois did a spin so he was facing Claude.

"I'll ask him to dance" Alois said.

"Go for it" Ciel encouraged. She had already seen the longing look Claude had given Alois.

Alois led Ciel from the dance floor and over to their butlers.

"Claude, let's dance" Alois didn't give Claude time to answer and dragged him off.

Ciel chuckled and then looked up at Sebastian who was staring at her.

"What?"

"I know I've said this many times but you look beautiful, mistress" Sebastian said and Ciel blushed.

"You know, it's rude to leave a pretty lady alone without a dance" Ciel pointed out.

Sebastian smirked and held out a hand. "Will you give me the pleasure of dancing with me, Countess Phantomhive?"

"Of course, my good sir" Ciel said and Sebastian took her out to the dance floor.

"Attention, everyone!" Angelina said up on the stage.

Sebastian paused in midstep just as the music died down.

"Thank you everyone for being here tonight. I'm sure my sister and brother in law would be very happy if they see that each and every one of you here to remember him and his family. Now, I'd like to call my niece Ciel here to give us a few words. Ciel, darling?"

Ciel sighed and then began weaving her way through the crowd. As she came up the steps, the applause began and she took the mic from her aunt.

"Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for being here. I really don't have much to say except how happy my father and mother would be to see that all of you still care about them enough to attend the yearly tour and ball just for them. Unfortunately this year's tour shall be the last"

There was silence at these words and Sebastian noted that Angelina had paled.

"I have made the decision to convert this museum back into a mansion. This was the original home of the Phantomhives since the 13th century and it shall remain that way. I have the utmost respect for my father and I knew his intentions when converting the mansion were to make sure that the family was not forgotten. However, I am now the family head and I'm sure he would agree to my decision"

At that moment Alois began making his way up the stage steps and then came to stand next to Ciel.

"I have also decided to merge the Phantomhive group with the Trancy group. This is a decision I have made with alot of thought and am now a co-owner of Phantomhive and Trancy Co."

Ciel looked up at Alois and then took his hand.

"Please wish up luck in our future endeavours. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Have a good night" Ciel bowed with Alois and then handed the mic back to Angelina. The crowd applauded politely. Ciel and Alois got off the stage and back in their butler's arms.

"Nice speech. Much like my young master's" Sebastian whispered and Ciel smiled.

"Thank you"

Then a hand came and grabbed Ciel's arm. Angelina dragged Ciel off the dance floor to a private alcove. Ciel sat down and stared up at her aunt.

"How can you take such a decision without asking me? The business is mine, not yours!" Angelina asked.

"The business is mine. It's written in dad's will. You can't take it from me and I'm going through to my decision to merge it with Trancy" Ciel replied.

"This will not happen!"

"This is happening. I don't care how you react but this is my life and my decision"

"Don't come back to my home again. Take your things and leave! Get lost!" Angelina shrieked.

She left the alcove and Ciel sat there with her eyes wide. Her aunt had just kicked her out. The alcove curtain opened and Alois stood there with a sad smile. He had heard everything. He entered the alcove and hugged Ciel. Ciel shook off his arms and stood up. She took a few deep breaths and then composed herself. Alois stood up and smiled. He offered her his arm and she nodded.

They stepped out and continued to enjoy their night.


	10. Chapter 10

"Stupid Mr. Justin, keeping me after school. Why do I have to be in charge of class clean up?" Ciel complained as she dragged the full trash bag across the courtyard of the school.

She sighed and flung the trash bag over the top of the dumpster. She turned and then heard a twig snap.

"Who's there?" She called out but there was no answer.

She furrowed her eyebrows as a hand came out of nowhere and bashed her head against the metal side of the dumpster.

Ciel felt horrible as she opened her eyes. Her mind was fuzzy and she couldn't even focus on her thoughts. Her vision was blurry and her body couldn't even move.

"Boss, she's awake" Someone said.

There was a laugh and Ciel tried to move her limbs but realized that she was tied up.

"The little bitch thought she could escape from me. Too bad, she didn't know who I was"

Ciel blinked a couple of times and her vision mercifully cleared.

"It's you" Ciel murmured.

"I hope you recognize me darling. I'm going to be the last face you'll see before I kill you" the boss said with a yellow toothed smile.

"Fuck you!" Ciel said with surprising energy.

"You little bitch" The boss slapped her hard enough to throw Ciel all the way across the room.

Ciel groaned in pain as her back slammed against the wall and she landed face down on the floor. She cringed at the smell of ash and cigarettes coming from the carpet.

"No one's going to save you now" The boss spat on Ciel and she shuddered in disgust at the feeling of the man's spit in her hair.

"What whore did you bring me this time?" Another new voice said.

"We found this girl, master. She is just for you" The boss said sounding afraid.

Someone grabbed Ciel by the hair and held her up. Ciel stared right at the new person in the room who was dressed in white slacks and a blue shirt with a red jacket. His blond hair was short and spiked. He stared at Ciel greedily and Ciel glared at him.

"Is this a girl? She doesn't look like one" the blond man said.

"Oh she is, boss" one of the other men said.

Ciel gasped when the she was thrown unceremoniously to the blond man who caught her with ease.

"Isn't she a pretty little thing, lads? I'll let you have a go with her when I'm done" the blond man said and he carried Ciel out of the room.

"Let go of me!" Ciel began wriggling around, trying to remove herself from the man's arms.

"We don't do that, love. Just relax" The blond man cooed and Ciel spat at him.

"Oh now you're just teasing me, love"

Another door was opened and Ciel was thrown on a large double bed. She landed right on the edge of the bed and tumbled to the floor.

"Sorry love, did that hurt?"

Ciel growled and she was picked up and placed on the bed.

"That eye patch is an eyesore isn't it?"

The blond man pulled off the eye patch and Ciel kept her eye shut.

"Come on, love. Don't be shy"

Ciel opened up her eye and the purple mark glowed eerily. The door suddenly slammed open and the blond man screamed in fright as he was thrown against the wall.

"Sorry, I'm late, mistress. They don't seem to have treated you that well" Sebastian said with a bow of apology.

"Destroy him Sebastian. I want him to suffer" Ciel ordered.

"Then close your eyes, mistress" Sebastian said.

Ciel obeyed and relaxed. She heard tortured screams and groans of pain.

"How dare you try to take my beloved mistress from me? You shall die the way she wants you to" Sebastian said.

There was one final scream and then silence. Ciel felt herself being picked up and she wrapped her arms around Sebastian, her eyes still closed.

"My mistress. My beautiful mistress" Sebastian whispered and them kissed the top of her head.

Ciel pressed herself closer to Sebastian and then felt herself soaring through the air. She kept her eyes shut and soon Sebastian landed onto the ground.

"Sebastian?"

Ciel opened her eyes to see that they were at Alois's home. Claude had just been about to tuck Alois into bed.

"Ciel!" Alois jumped out of bed and rushed to his friend.

Sebastian sat Ciel down on the bed and tore off the bonds that were holding her limbs.

"Claude, the first aid kit" Alois ordered and Claude rushed off.

"Alois, get Ciel something to change into" Sebastian said.

Alois opened up his closet and began searching. Sebastian began checking his mistress for wounds and then barked out orders for ice to Claude. Ciel sat frozen as all this was happening around her. Sebastian pulled off her tee shirt and shorts only to make her wear one of Alois's tee shirts.

"What happened to her?" Alois asked as Sebastian began cleaning up the blood from her face, neck and Claude pressed ice against her various bruises.

"Jean Luc De Louis kidnapped her" Sebastian replied.

"The famous painter who's visiting from France? Why would he do that?" Alois asked.

"Rumors of you two asking for your titles has spread throughout the country. You two are in more danger than you think. Ciel much more than you since Sebastian doesn't hang around Ciel as much as I do" Claude replied.

"But why would our titles be the cause of this?" Alois asked.

"If Ciel receives her title again, Jean Luc loses this status as an ambassador" Sebastian replied.

"How does that happen?" Alois asked.

"Too complicated to explain" Ciel replied and Alois grinned.

"Ciel, you're okay!"

"She needs rest" Sebastian said.

"Claude go set up the cot for Ciel. Right next to my bed" Alois ordered.

"As you wish" Claude left the room.

"Mistress, does anything hurt?" Sebastian asked.

"My head hurts. I want to shower" Ciel replied.

She stood up gingerly and then began walking slowly to the bathroom.

"Call me if you need me" Sebastian said and then turned to face Alois who had a knowing look on his face.

"What is it?" Sebastian asked and Alois laughed.

"Are you alright, master?" Claude asked from where he was setting up the cot.

"He's so blind!" Alois laughed loudly and Sebastian for once, glanced at Claude with a confused look on his face.

"What are you talking about?" Sebastian asked.

"You're in love with her!" Alois laughed even more at this.

"What?" the two butlers echoed.

"He is! When she walked away from him, he looked so heartbroken I could cry. I've never seen anyone like that" Alois insisted.

"I don't love her. Demons are not supposed to love" Sebastian said.

"You're not supposed to love your contracted soul. Demons can love, Sebastian" Claude said and then looked over at Alois who was out of breath on the floor from laughing.

It clicked in Sebastian's mind. Claude was in love with Alois. Poor Alois, he could find out what Sebastian was feeling but he couldn't see what his butler was hiding from him. Wait, Sebastian shook off what Alois had said. He wasn't in love with his mistress. At all. The door of the bathroom open and Ciel walked out, her hair dripping wet.

Sebastian immediately jumped up and began towel drying her short hair. Alois looked up and sent an irritating smirk to Sebastian.

"Master, time for bed" Claude said and Alois sighed.

He climbed into bed and was tucked under the blankets. Sebastian finished drying Ciel's hair and then began to comb it. Then Ciel went to bed. Sebastian sat in on corner of the room and Claude joined him.

"You're in love with the brat" Sebastian stated and Claude sighed.

"Apparently he isn't that omniscient the way he thinks he is" Sebastian said.

"I was hoping that he would remember faster but he seems to disregard those memories completely" Claude said.

"You don't want him to turn into the monster his ancestor used to be but you want him to remember the crushing, heart breaking, and life giving love his ancestor had?" Sebastian asked incredulously and Claude had the shame to look away from the burgundy eyed demon.

"Claude, maybe Alois loved you but maybe this Alois isn't meant to love you. He hasn't shown any attraction towards anyone except maybe that Emily girl at school"

"Emily?"

"He came late to class a couple of times. He came in with his clothes and hair messed up along with a hickey on his neck. You can guess what he was doing" Sebastian replied.

"Does Ciel know about his little 'disappearances'?"

"I'm sure she does but keeps her nose out of it. There's no point in getting freaked out over it"

Claude sighed and leaned against the wall. Sebastian glanced over at the other demon and then at Ciel who was asleep.

"What about you? I'm sorry but Alois is right. You have that loving look in your eyes whenever you look at Ciel" Claude said.

"I nearly lost her. That monster was hanging over her when I came in. I'm a demon, I should be used to things like this but when I saw him I nearly lost myself"

"She's here, Sebastian, she's safe here. That's all that matters" Claude patted Sebastian's shoulder awkwardly and then stood up.

Sebastian stood and sat right back down next to Ciel's cot. He stared at her sleeping face and then brushed her long bangs out of her eyes. Her hair was soft to the touch unlike her male counterpart. Maybe it was because of the improved hair products. He chuckled and didn't move from his spot until sunrise.


	11. Chapter 11

Sebastian looked up from the stove where he was cooking breakfast to see Ciel standing in the doorway with a smile.

"What's wrong?" he asked looking down at cooking eggs.

"I feel so lucky" Ciel replied walking into the room.

"Lucky?"

"My family deserted me but I've still got you. I've still got Alois and Claude"

Ciel wrapped her arms around Sebastian and switched off the stove so the eggs wouldn't burn. Sebastian chuckled and hugged his mistress.

"I think I'm getting addicted to your hugs. They're just perfect. Just like you" Ciel commented and Sebastian saw Claude in the doorway.

Claude held his fingers up to his lips and then silently walked away. Sebastian kissed the top of her head and then let her go. Ciel yawned and then switched on the radio. A unfamiliar song began floating around the kitchen and Sebastian made a face. He truly did not enjoy modern music.

"Morning" Alois came trudging into the room with his hair messed up and his nightclothes wrinkled.

"Master, Lady Ciel, you need to hear this" Claude said.

He walked into the kitchen and turned the radio to a news station.

_This just in. The dead body of Ms. Angelina Durless was found under a bar counter just this morning. Doctors suspect alcohol poisoning to be the cause of death._

Ciel fell to the floor in shock. Sebastian quickly caught her and then scooped her into his arms.

"Change and then we'll head over to the house" Alois said.

When they reached the house Ciel had plastered on her poker face. She quickly made funeral arrangements with the Undertaker. She had the funeral right that afternoon not bothering to call anyone. The burial was quick and Ciel barely shed a tear. The Undertaker had hugged her and wasn't letting go of her any time soon.

"Sebastian, start the renovations on the mansion. I want to move in as soon as possible" Ciel ordered.

"Yes my lady"

"She might look like him but she's different from him" Grell commented from where he was standing next to the Undertaker.

"Shut up, you red headed bufoon" Claude said and Grell began is usual whining.

"Can someone shut him up?" Ciel asked.

"Everyone is so mean to me!" Grell complained.

"Shut up!" Alois shouted loud enough for birds to fly from a nearby tree.

After the funeral, Ciel moved right into Alois's home. Luke was overjoyed but Ciel felt alone for the first time since her parents died.

School began as it usually did. Ciel ignored her classmates whispers as she usually did until Amber decided to torture Ciel with her scathing remarks.

"Just like her parents. No one wants a freak for a daughter or even a niece. Guess her aunt didn't want her"

"Shut up, Amber!" Alois shouted. He had finally had enough.

"Sticking up for your girlfriend, freak? Misery loves company" Amber said.

"I've had it with your stupid comments. Mind your business. There's no point in listening to you but if you keep on throwing your stupid comments to Ciel, I'll have no choice but to stand up against you"

"Alois, stop" Ciel said tugging on his sleeve.

"Yeah, freak, listen to your girlfriend"

"I'm not stopping. I don't think she realises that her parents work in my business. So I can fire them out just like that and she can say goodbye to her monthly treatment at the salons" Alois smirked when Amber paled.

"That's right sweetheart, you didn't know about who your parents work for. Well now you know and if you utter one more ridiculous comment about Ciel then you can kiss your utterly perfect life goodbye" Alois threatened and Amber tossed her hair over her shoulder to ignore him.

"You didn't have to do that" Ciel said and the bell rang for Dance.

They headed to the Dance class where Sebastian was setting up for a new routine.

"Today we're doing the tango" he announced and some girls looked excited about it.

"Now you must know it takes two to tango and it is a dance that represents passion and love in the highest scale because of it's quick movements and gracefulness. So partner up and we'll begin" Sebastian explained.

Ciel headed over to Sebastian and smiled at him. He winked and then turned to the rest of the class who had already partnered up. Alois looked happy to be paired up with Emily again which Sebastian found rather amusing. Sebastian placed a hand on Ciel's waist and then waited for her to ready herself.

"We'll start with rather simple steps. Take a step forward" Ciel followed Sebastian and then he cued her to step to the right. "A step to the right". Ciel was spun around. "Now hike your leg around mine" Sebastian instructed.

"What?" Ciel asked.

"I promise I won't let you fall" Sebastian replied.

Ciel nodded and then clumsily hiked up her leg. Sebastian held her and then bent the leg that Ciel had wrapped her leg on, making a perfect lean and then threw Ciel up only to wrap his arms around her thighs. Ciel blushed crimson but held up arms and Sebastian lowered her back down on the floor and embraced her in his arms.

There was a round of applause and they parted.

"Mr. M, you want us to do that? What if we get injured?" One girl asked in concern.

"I'm sure the guys won't let you fall, will you?"

The guys shook their heads and many of them were even eager to try the routine out.

"Ciel, you'll demonstrate with me" Sebastian said.

Ciel nodded and everyone got into position. Sebastian walked between everyone correcting their stances and their grip. Finally he took Ciel in his arms and began demonstrating. The class was fine until it came to the leg hiking bit. Ciel was fairly more confident this time so she did it perfectly. However, a few girls lost their grip and nearly made both themselves and their partners fall.

"Wait, don't be scared, trust in your partner" Sebastian said to Emily and Alois.

Emily nodded and then did the move perfectly. Sebastian clapped and then took up his positioning with Ciel.

"Now guys, balance with your waist and then do the throw. Gently please, so no one gets injured" Sebastian instructed.

Some girls shrieked as they were tossed a bit too high in the air. Ciel blushed again and she was caught by Sebastian. She felt amazing up in the air, like as if no one could hurt her.

"Michael, no feeling her up. I don't care if she's your girlfriend, she's still a woman" Sebastian scolded and Ciel chuckled.

Finally the class had the routine down and Sebastian decided to turn on the music. "Start, five, six, seven, eight" He called out and the entire class danced along to the steps. Ciel nodded her head to the Latin melody. She loved Latin music because it made her feel like dancing and emotions she had never felt before.

"Again!"

She was being held in Sebastian's arms. His strong arms wrapped around her body and he threw her up into the air. She held her head and arms up until Sebastian lowered her to the floor. As she came down she ran her fingers through his silky black hair and gave him a seductive smirk. Sebastian raised a brow but sent a 'come hither' look which made her shiver with pleasure.

"Class dismissed!"

Ciel grabbed her bag and then spotted Alois talking to Emily. If he liked her so much he should have asked her out already. She sighed and then asked Sebastian to walk with her to Music.

"He should just ask her out if he likes her. She clearly likes him if the hickeys she gives him are anything to go by" Ciel was saying as they entered the Music classroom.

"Maybe she just wants a fling and not a relationship" Sebastian suggested.

"I could try hooking them up"

"It's not nice to meddle" Sebastian warned and Ciel groaned.

"Actually, what was that whole routine? It was so different to what we learn in Dance" Ciel asked.

"I saw that many of the female population seem unaware of the effect they bring on the males of the school. I used the class to make them aware of that" Sebastian replied.

"Well it certainly made me feel sexy" Ciel laughed and then saw Sebastian staring at her.

"What?" she asked selfconsious.

"You've never felt sexy before? Wait, you've never had a boyfriend have you?"

"You're kind of nosy for a butler"

"Force of habit. Stop trying to avoid the question"

"No I haven't had a boyfriend or anything. No one wanted to date the freak" Ciel replied and then turned around so she wouldn't face Sebastian.

"Then I'm the first person to have done this?" Sebastian asked.

He turned Ciel around and then kissed her. Ciel's eyes widened and then she kissed him back. Sebastian pulled away and Ciel smiled.

"Yes you're the first" She replied and then the door opened to reveal a few other students.

Ciel smiled and then went to sit down at her seat. Alois came in soon enough and the class began. The day went along and Ciel walked home with Alois. Alois grew suspicious of the silly smile Ciel had put on her face the entire day. She also seemed to giggle which was completely out of character for her.

"Lucky I'm in love with my best friend, lucky to have been where I've been, lucky to be coming home someday" Ciel sung under her breath and Alois stared at her in shock.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"I think I like someone" Ciel replied and then slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Who?" Alois asked.

"No saying a thing!" Ciel said and Alois chuckled.

"It's Sebastian, am I right?"

"How did you know?"

"You only hang out with me, Claude and Sebastian. I'm out of the question and so is Claude. Sebastian's the only one" Alois concluded.

"You're really smart" Ciel said gaping at him.

"I'm not a Trancy for nothing" Alois replied and then began running. Ciel laughed and ran after him.

They got home, out of breath. Claude welcomed them home and Luke immediately latched onto Ciel. He had been overjoyed at the fact that Ciel was now living with them.

"Claude guess what? Ciel has a crush on Sebastian. Isn't that hilarious?" Alois laughed and Claude coughed uncomfortably.

"What's wrong?" Ciel asked concerned and Claude turned to return to the kitchen.

"Claude likes someone. And not just like. He like likes someone. That person doesn't like him back" Luke replied with a sad smile.

"Claude likes someone? Did he give you a name?" Ciel asked and Luke shook his head.

Ciel had a sneaking suspiscion on who Claude liked but Alois seemed clueless. Ciel sighed in frustration but then decided not to meddle. Claude had been annoyed by the fact that Ciel had told Alois about his past life so Ciel didn't want to get on his bad side again.

"Who is it?" Alois asked.

"I'll give you a hint. Who do we know is blond and has blue eyes?"

"Amber!"

Ciel slapped the back of his head in frustration and then walked up the stairs to their room.

"What? What'd you hit me for? Ciel!"


	12. Chapter 12

In two days, their first letter from the Queen arrived. Ciel took deep breaths before taking it and slicing the envelope open. Alois sat next to her and they began reading it together. Sebastian and Claude watched them and Ciel placed the letter on the table.

"What did Her Majesty say?" Claude asked and Ciel chuckled.

"Apparently there have been a slew of prostitute murders all over London. New Scotland Yard haven't found anything on who did it because the amount of prostitutes in London are too many. Her Majesty wishes for us to investigate" Alois explained.

"There was a murder just this morning. Let's go check it out" Ciel stood and Sebastian nodded.

They headed into London and then down by the East End. The alleyway had a horrible scent of death. Police were everywhere and Ciel tried to get in but they stopped her.

"I have a letter from the Queen" Alois said holding out the letter with the seal and the police let them go.

Ciel wanted to cover her nose from the stench but then glanced at the body. The woman was dressed in a micro mini, belly shirt and six inch high pumps and she was lying face down on the ground with her legs spread apart.

"Who's the officer in charge?" Ciel asked.

"Me. Officer Angelo" A man with a beer gut and horrendous moustache replied.

"Who found this body?" Alois asked.

"A drunk couple who came right down from space when they saw the dead whore" Angelo replied.

"How do you know she's a whore?" Ciel asked clenching her fists.

"I've been on the job for thirty years, young lady" Angelo replied and Ciel sighed.

"Cause of death?" Alois asked.

"Strangled just like the others. He put a plastic bag over her head and suffocated her" Angelo replied.

"Any leads?"

"Nope" Ciel didn't miss Angelo's eyes raking over the dead woman's bare legs.

"If you want to go get us some coffee, we'll understand" Ciel said and Angelo frowned. Sebastian smirked.

"Whatever you say" Angelo said and Ciel sent him a smirk.

Ciel turned to the photographer only to hear Angelo's voice again.

"Can you send me a copy of those prints? We could use them for the bulletin board"

"Hey, a little respect here" Alois voiced out and Ciel nodded.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, kid. She's NHI" Angelo said.

Ciel glared at the officer and the photographer stood up. "What's NHI?".

"No Humans Involved" Ciel replied.

"It means why should we bother trying to solve the case. The victim was just a useless piece of garbage" Alois explained to the photographer while glaring at Angelo.

"Kinda like a cop who oughtta retire" Ciel snapped and then left the crime scene with Sebastian at her heels.

"Now what?" Alois asked.

"We investigate. Sebastian, find the ID on the victim. Claude why don't you look around for anyone who knows the girl" Ciel said.

They went off and Ciel glared at the picture of the prostitute. Alois took her hand and they returned home. Claude opened the door for them to their surprise.

"You guys are done already?" Ciel asked and Sebastian nodded.

"Her name was Tina Worthington. The girl was an immigrant from US. She had a Tier 4 student's visa for the University College London. She's missing for two days from the school because she didn't show up at a concert for charity that she was supposed to perform in. She's been reported and found today dead" Sebastian replied.

"How did she get money to come here?" Alois asked.

"She has a lot of money because her mother is some famous lawyer" Claude replied.

"So she isn't a prostitute. What about the rest of the girls?" Ciel asked.

"All of them are prostitutes but this last person was a student out on a party. The strange part is that no fingerprints or traces were found at the crime scene. Also, the victims hearts had swollen and burst" Sebastian replied.

"Swollen and burst. Like a balloon?"

"Yes"

"Any supernatural elements?"

"The heart bursting thing worries me. Could it be a demon?" Ciel asked.

"Too messy. Maybe a young demon?" Claude wondered.

"But why a bag over her head? He could have just twisted her neck, taken the soul and run off" Sebastian pointed out.

"He likes to play with his food" Alois concluded.

"Where has the body been taken? We need to examine it privately" Ciel asked.

An hour later they were standing outside the Undertaker's shop. Well, Ciel and Alois were outside. Claude and Sebastian had gone in first.

"What are they doing in there?" Alois was about to open the door and a booming laugh was heard. It was loud enough for the sign of the shop to fall onto the floor.

"You can now come in" Sebastian said with a fake smile.

Ciel walked inside and smiled at the Undertaker. Alois seemed rather creeped out so he stuck to Claude's side.

"I haven't seen you in a while, Earl" Undertaker giggled.

"It's Countess, not Earl" Sebastian reminded.

"You wish to know about the woman who died to today. Angelo just brought her in"

"That pig, I wish I could just-" "Oh no cussing from you, little Earl. It's not befitting for someone of your status" Undertaker clapped a long fingered hand over Ciel's mouth.

"About the dead body, we've identified the woman to be named Tina Worthington and she's from US. What I want to know is who did this" Alois said.

"It's a demon alright. But this isn't the first time he's done this" Undertaker said.

"Yeah we know all these prostitutes are dead" Ciel said.

"No, no Earl. He's been doing this for over thirty years" Undertaker replied.

"Thirty years? Then he's not a young demon" Sebastian pointed out.

"He's become older and more experienced in killing now than before. All the women are of the same height and features as the woman murdered tonight. He won't stop until he is stopped. Will you stop him, little Earls?"

"We will" Alois and Ciel said in unison with determination on their faces.

On their return home, Ciel kept on reading the list of victims' names. Sebastian glanced over at her in concern but she kept her gaze on the list.

"Ciel, staring at it isn't going to make the answer pop out" Alois said.

"I got it" She whispered in shock.

"What?" Alois asked.

"I understand now. This demon is actually smarter than we give him credit for. All of these women have blond hair and blue eyes. Just like you, Alois. Maybe you could dress up and walk around just like the rest of the prostitutes. You could attract the attention of the demon" Ciel said.

"You want me to dress up like those women? Maybe you should. Just wear a wig" Alois said and Sebastian growled deep in his throat.

"It will be easier for you, Master since you're a natural blond" Claude said.

"Okay but Ciel's dressing me up. I don't trust either of you two" Alois said.

The plan was put into place. Ciel dressed Alois in a pair of short shorts and a tight corset with boots. Then she clipped in hair extensions and applied makeup onto his face.

"I feel ridiculous" Alois complained as he stood shivering at the corner of the streets. He kept talking to Ciel through an earpiece.

"Strut around and have some fun. If you attract any attention, Claude and Sebastian are there to protect you" Ciel said.

"Okay" Alois smirked and then began strutting across the street. He whistled at the men and sent them flirty smiles and 'come hither' looks. Ciel nearly burst out laughing and Sebastian stiffened.

"What's wrong?" Ciel asked worriedly.

"He's here" Sebastian replied.

As if on cue, a man came walking towards Alois. He was tall and his build was similar to Sebastian's. His hair was black and greased back with gel that brought out the paleness of his face. He was utterly beautiful and perfect.

"Well aren't you a pretty one? Come here darling" Ciel heard and then saw Alois's teasing face.

"Of course" Alois stepped closer to the demon and he wrapped an arm around the blond.

"Let's go" Ciel opened the car door and stepped out. Sebastian followed her.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and then they began following Alois and the demon.

"May I have your name, sir?" Alois asked in a sickly sweet voice.

"Why don't you make one for me?" The demon replied and Alois chuckled.

"How about dickhead?"

"What?"

Before the demon could react, Alois had wriggled out of his arms and Claude had leaped out of nowhere to kick the demon in the face. Ciel stood away from the fight and Sebastian ran forward, not willing to miss out.

"How come he's getting beaten so easily?" Alois asked wearing the long coat Ciel had brought for him.

"He might have been around for a long time but against two demons who are older than him he's a wuss" Ciel replied.

"This is such a gorgeous sight. I love brutal men!"

Ciel and Alois turned around and saw Grell with hearts in his eyes as he stared at the fight.

"Grell what are you doing here? Go away, it's not safe" Ciel said.

"I could defeat that little demon with two hands tied behind my back" Grell boasted.

"What demon? What are you talking about?" Ciel asked acting stupid.

Grell chuckled and then pulled out a large chainsaw. He ran towards the fighting demons and threw himself right into the fray.

"Grell!"

"He'll be fine" Alois jumped two feet in the air when the Undertaker spoke from next to him.

"You guys know about demons?" Ciel asked.

"Of course, Grell and I are Reapers" Undertaker replied.

"Reapers?" Alois asked.

"I'll explain later"

There was a shout and then blood splattered all over the alleyway. Ciel cringed as some of the blood landed on her clothes.

"We destroyed his human form but not his true form" Sebastian said. He took off his blood free jacket and placed it around Ciel.

"So what about his true form?" Alois asked.

"He ran off but he'll be back soon. We have to wait until then" Claude replied.

Ciel looked at the blood splattered alleyway and then saw Grell wrapping his arms around Undertaker.

"So explain. What are Reapers and how do you know about them?" Ciel stated and Grell chuckled.

"She's just like him in attitude" He commented.

"Him? You knew my ancestor?" Ciel asked.

"I knew both of your ancestors. We Reapers are immortal" Grell replied and Undertaker nodded.

"Can I change first before we take this explanation further?" Alois asked.

"Let's go home then. You're welcome too, Reapers" Claude said and Undertaker nodded.


	13. Chapter 13

Ciel crept slowly down the stairs to the kitchen. Sebastian and Claude were wide awake since they were demons. Undertaker and Grell were fast asleep in the guest room and Alois was asleep in their room.

"Mistress?"

Ciel looked up from where she was pouring herself a glass of juice and flashed Sebastian a smile.

"You should be sleeping" Sebastian said.

He sat down on a chair and Ciel sat down on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck. He sighed, amused and wrapped his arms securely around her. He ran his fingers through her short hair and then noted that it was growing longer.

"Your hair's getting longer. Should I trim it?" He asked.

"I don't know" she mumbled tiredly.

"Up to bed" Sebastian carried her bridal style up the stairs.

He placed her in bed and then drew the covers over her. Her eyes opened and she beckoned him to bend down. When he did so, she wrapped an arm around her neck and kissed him. It was barely a brush of lips on lips but Sebastian jolted in surprise. He had never known that she would be this bold. Her arm fell from his neck and she fell asleep.

He stood up straight and touched his lips. He smiled and walked out of the room. He spotted Claude reading a book and then decided to join him.

"What are you reading?" Sebastian asked.

He read over Claude's shoulder and then chuckled.

"You're reading shounen ai manga?"

"The amount of reading material has rather dulled in this century" Claude replied, still reading.

Sebastian chuckled and then grabbed Julius Caesar from the shelf. As he read, the sky outside lightened and Undertaker stirred at dawn. He left Grell asleep and then made his way to the kitchen.

"Good morning" He said to Claude who was cooking.

"Sebastian's outside weeding the garden" Claude replied.

"Oh I'm not here for him. I'm here to talk to you" Undertaker said in an unusually serious tone.

"About?"

"You love Alois don't you?"

Claude coughed uncomfortably and Undertaker let out a giggle.

"So when are you going to confess?" Undertaker asked.

"Never. He doesn't feel that way about me" Claude replied.

"If he's never seen a relationship like the one you want to have with him, then what do you expect him to think?"

"So what should I do?" Claude asked.

"Let me and Grell do everything" Undertaker replied with another giggle.

Claude nodded and went to wake Luke for school. He decided to let Ciel and Alois miss school for the day because of the night before. Luke quickly dressed for school, ate breakfast and Claude dropped him off at the bus stop. He returned home to find Alois and Ciel eating breakfast.

"So you guys have been together since my ancestor's death?" Ciel asked chewing her cereal.

"Yeah. Sebas-chan left after Ciel died and then I found the hidden love I had for this person right here" Grell said batting his eyelashes at Undertaker who was stuffing his face with biscuits.

"So when you two go on dates, doesn't anyone yell at you or throw homophobic comments?" Alois asked.

"They do but I flip them the bird and they leave us alone" Grell replied.

"You guys are just so cute" Ciel said and Undertaker chuckled.

"So you guys kiss, hug and have sex just like the rest of the couples out there?" Alois asked and he was slapped on the head by Ciel.

"Yes we do" Undertaker replied and Alois turned red in embarrassment.

"Now that gave me a mental picture I didn't need" Ciel commented and Undertaker burst into laughter.

Claude chuckled and then Alois fell off his chair in shock.

"What happened?" Ciel asked with a smile.

"Claude actually laughed! He smiled! Alert the media!" Alois replied and Ciel laughed.

Alois got up and wrapped his arms around Claude.

"Come on Claude, smile again. Pretty please?" Alois flashed his baby blues at Claude.

Claude rolled his eyes and then set Alois back onto the floor. He walked to the stove and began to clean the dishes.

"Why don't you smile?" Alois asked in a minuscule voice. Claude ignored him.

"Alois, leave him alone. If he doesn't want to smile then forget it" Ciel said.

"No! He never smiles! Sometimes I think he hates being here! He makes me feel guilty about serving me when he never smiles! Claude, you're my highness!" Alois blinked away the unshed tears.

"Master-" Claude turned around.

"I hate you!" With that Alois ran out of the kitchen and they heard the front door slam.

Ciel glanced up at Claude and smiled sadly at the brokenhearted look on his face. He was about to go after his master but Ciel stopped him.

"Let him cool down first and then go up to see him" She said.

Claude nodded and went back to the dishes. Sebastian slid open the glass door from the backyard and entered inside.

"I found a trail of blood outside. No one should go outside right now. That demon could be lurking around" Sebastian warned.

"Alois just left!" Ciel stood up and Sebastian stopped her from leaving the house.

"Claude, go!" Sebastian said.

Claude nodded and with his demonic speed, he was out of the house.

"We should go help" Undertaker said and Grell nodded. They went out to follow Claude.

"What about us?" Ciel asked.

"We're staying here. They will handle the demon" Sebastian replied.

"You're better at fighting than Claude"

"We're staying here, understand?"

Ciel nodded and sat down on the chair. She pushed her breakfast away from her. Her appetite had disappeared.

Claude ran through the streets at a rapid pace. Grell and Undertaker checked the neighborhoods for Alois. Sebastian rushed around the house closing all the windows and locking doors. It wouldn't keep the demon out but it would shake the nervousness that Ciel was feeling.

"It's broad daylight, Sebastian. Alois will spot the demon a mile away" Ciel said.

Sebastian nodded and then heard a noise from outside. He held a finger to his lips and then listened carefully. Ciel fell silent and then sat still. Sebastian's eyes widened and then he threw himself at Ciel. Ciel closed her eyes and felt Sebastian's arms wrap around her. They both crash-landed on the floor just as the window above the sink broke into pieces.

Grell straightened up as he heard a crash. Undertaker stopped as well and then turned to look at the house.

"We should get back" Grell said.

"I'll go to the house. You go and help Claude" Undertaker replied.

Grell nodded and raced off. Undertaker began running back to the house.

Ciel tried to look over Sebastian's shoulder but Sebastian's hand covered her eyes.

"A demon's true form is not to be seen by a human" he whispered and then sat her up against the pantry door.

Ciel kept her eyes shut and Sebastian stood to face the demon.

"You're back again. I thought you would lay low until your injuries healed" Sebastian said.

"You never injured me, you pathetic fool" The demon said and Ciel shivered at the underlying menace in his voice.

"You will never get near my Mistress, not while I'm around" Sebastian said.

"We'll see about that"

Ciel heard the door slam open but still didn't open her eyes.

"My, my I was missing such a great fight here" Undertaker said.

There was a loud crash and Ciel began feeling around. She twisted the knob and opened the pantry door. She crawled inside and closed the door. Sebastian smiled. At least now he knew Ciel was safe. Undertaker cackled as Sebastian turned into his true form.

"That sure is scary" Undertaker commented and Ciel bit her lip.

She reached out and opened the pantry door an inch just enough to peek into the kitchen. Her gaze was blocked by feathers. Black, dark feathers. She glanced down onto the floor and saw a pair of heeled boots.

"No peeking" A deep voice said and Ciel closed the door.

Alois sat alone at the bus stop, miserable. He didn't understand why he got so angry when it came to Claude. It was so frustrating to deal with that emotionless demon. He scuffed his converse on the ground and then looked up at the rapidly darkening sky. It looked like it was going to rain.

"Master, I finally found you" Claude stopped right in front of Alois.

"Go away, go home. I don't want to see you" Alois said looking away from Claude.

"Master..." Claude tried to wrap his arms around Alois but the blond pushed him away.

"Don't touch me!"

Claude sighed and sat down next to Alois.

"What's wrong? Is it because I never show any emotion?" Claude asked.

"Yes! It's so frustrating and annoying Claude. I sometimes think you hate me because you don't even seem to like me. I have this anger inside me and it explodes whenever you do something that angers me" Alois replied.

"I apologize Master. It is not my nature to show emotion at all. Your ancestor never seemed to have a problem with it" Claude said.

"Well I do" Alois folded his arms against his chest and pouted.

Claude chuckled and ruffled Alois's hair. He stood and Alois blushed as he stared up at Claude.

"Let us go home" Claude held out his hand and Alois took it.

They began walking home.


	14. Chapter 14

"What happened here?" Alois asked in shock.

Ciel was currently sweeping up the broken glass, Sebastian was cleaning up the table, chairs and floor while the Undertaker was on the phone calling someone who could replace the window.

"The demon paid us a visit" Ciel replied and Claude sighed.

"Did you kill him?" he asked Sebastian.

"Yes, it was quite messy" Sebastian replied.

"The window will be replaced this afternoon. Someone's coming to measure the size of the glass" Undertaker said.

"Where's the red head?" Ciel asked looking around.

"He was looking for Alois" Undertaker replied.

"We didn't see him on the way back" Alois said.

"Then where did he go?" Sebastian asked.

"You don't think the demon did something to him?" Ciel wondered.

"He's a Reaper. He can handle himself against a demon. Maybe he was called in for work" Undertaker said.

"Claude, finish the work here. Ciel, let's go study. We have finals next week" Alois said.

Ciel nodded and handed the dustpan and broom to Claude. Both teens went up the stairs and the butlers continued on with their work.

"I should be going to my shop then. Goodbye" Undertaker left and Sebastian looked questioningly over at Claude.

"Did you tell him then?"

"Am I a fool? You haven't confessed and neither will I" Claude replied and Sebastian chuckled.

"Oh I will confess. Soon" Sebastian said.

No other words were exchanged between the two demons.

Upstairs Ciel and Alois were studying. More like Ciel was studying. Alois merely kept flipping pages as he read. Ciel glanced over at him and then out the window where the grey clouds were rapidly gathering.

"There's going to be a storm tonight" Ciel said and Alois grunted.

After a few minutes Alois stood up. "I'm bored" he complained.

"What's Sebastian planning for our Dance final? The other teachers are giving tests but I'm sure Music and Dance have something else involved" Ciel asked.

"You can order him to tell you" Alois replied.

"I am a woman for honor unlike you, Trancy"

"Honor my foot. Like anyone bothers with the anymore" Alois said grabbing another book to read.

"How can you be done with World History already? I'm still in the fourth chapter" Ciel asked and Alois shrugged.

"I'm a fast reader"

"Shut up"

The doorbell rang and Sebastian went to let the window repairman in. Ciel took that moment to come down the stairs. Sebastian stopped short when he realized what she was wearing. Ciel had worn mini shorts and a cut sleeved white top and fuzzy bedroom slippers. The repairman stopped as well and Sebastian's hand twitched to punch him at the way he was staring at Ciel.

"This way" Sebastian said with gritted teeth. The repair man nodded.

"Where's Claude? Alois doesn't want to study" Ciel asked.

"In the garden cleaning up the mess" Sebastian replied and Ciel ran into the kitchen and out the backdoor.

Sebastian stood in the kitchen growing more and more angry at the sight of the repairman taking occasional glances at Ciel who was talking to Claude outside. Claude nodded and then let Ciel drag him inside.

"Darling, I'll bring some snacks for you later" Sebastian said sweetly as Ciel dragged Claude through the kitchen.

Ciel's eyes widened but she nodded to Sebastian who smiled smugly at the repairman. The repairman rolled his eyes and then continued his work. When he finished he turned to Sebastian.

"The windowpanes will be ready by tonight and you'll get it tomorrow morning. Until then, I'll board the window up" the repairman said and Sebastian nodded.

Upstairs he could hear Claude lecturing the two teens and Alois yawning. After the repairman left, Sebastian began cooking dinner.

The next day at school, Sebastian dropped a bomb in their Dance and Music classes.

"All students will be required to choreograph their own dance routine in whatever genre you enjoy. You can pair up or do an individual solo"

"All students will be required to compose their own thirty second or longer instrumental track. You have to work in pairs"

Alois immediately burst out with complaints.

"We have finals this week! We can't just do this in a second you know!" he said loudly.

"Mr. Trancy, detention" Sebastian said and Alois grumbled in frustration.

"Can we put lyrics or are we limited to just instruments?" Ciel asked.

"You can use lyrics but keep it to a minimum" Sebastian replied.

"We'll pair up for both of the finals anyway" Ciel said trying to calm Alois down.

After school while waiting for Alois, Ciel sat in the music room trying to come up with something. She was trying to figure out a way to put emotion to the music.

"Stuck?" A voice asked.

Ciel looked up and smiled when she saw Sebastian.

"You're not supposed to help me. That would be cheating and cheaters have no honor" Ciel said.

"True but I can hear your mind wheels turning as you think" Sebastian agreed.

"Where's Alois?" Ciel asked gathering up her stuff.

"Still in detention but I just wanted to inform you that the renovations on the mansion are done. You can move in right after finals" Sebastian replied.

"Really? Won't I need servants in that mansion? I know you and Claude can do everything but you're busy at school and I don't want to leave Claude alone" Ciel said.

"Claude said he knows a few people who can be servants in the manor. They'll be arriving soon to start furnishing and cleaning the mansion" Sebastian said.

"Great"

She walked with Sebastian down the hallway and then peeked at him from the corner of her eye. Sebastian smirked when he felt her eyes on him.

_I know you desperately want me, mistress. But the time is not right. _

"Sebastian I am severely pissed at you right now so just get out of my sight" Alois said.

"Before he attacks you" Ciel said.

"Yes mistress" Sebastian left and the teens made their way home.

"So what do we do about the instrumental track? Should we do a classical or modern beat?" Alois asked.

"We could a piano and cello melody" Ciel replied.

"Strong notes on the piano and then the cello could be the backup" Alois said.

"Like this?"

Ciel pressed a couple of buttons on her laptop and a piano tune came out.

"A bit heavier" Alois replied.

Ciel nodded and continued. Soon they had a rough draft of the piano melody.

"Tomorrow after school we'll record in the music room. What about the dance routine?" Alois asked.

"We should do a couples dance. I can't dance on my own so throw away hip hop, contemporary and ballet" Ciel replied.

"Which leaves ballroom, quickstep, tango and salsa" Alois said.

"Let's mash up ballroom and tango. I can dance well because Sebastian's taught us that in class" Ciel suggested.

"How about ballroom and salsa? Fire up the house" Alois said with a smirk.

"Salsa is rather risqué for school isn't it?" Ciel asked biting her lip.

"Salsa is for those people who have sex appeal and confidence. And you, Ciel, have both" Alois replied and Ciel smirked.

"Let's get started" She stood and cocked her hip which Alois wolf-whistled at and Ciel dropped the pose with a laugh.

Claude glanced over at Sebastian who was cooking but smiling mysteriously.

"Wipe that smile off your face, its uncouth" He snapped and Sebastian dropped the smile.

"And stop listening to them. It's rude" Claude said and Sebastian chuckled.

Soon sounds of someone falling or banging against the wall were heard upstairs.

"What are they doing up there?" Claude asked.

"You told me not to listen" Sebastian replied cheekily and then stepped out of the kitchen just in time to avoid Claude's well aimed throw of cookie dough.

That night at dinner, Ciel was exhausted. It had taken a long time to get the steps down and then Alois hadn't managed to balance her properly so she had fallen to the floor like a rag doll.

"Did I tell you how much I hate you Alois?" Ciel said grumpily and Alois nodded.

"Oh well, first dance rehearsals are always bad. We'll improve soon" Alois said.

"I'm going to bed" Ciel said.

She hugged Alois goodnight and then said goodnight to the demons. As she trudged up the stairs she couldn't help but take a peek into the kitchen at Sebastian. As soon as he began to turn around, she ran the rest of the way up the stairs. She closed the bedroom door quietly behind her and crawled into bed.

She smiled goofily before falling asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

"Letter from the Queen" Claude announced the next day at breakfast.

"We have finals tomorrow!" Alois complained but Ciel opened the letter anyway.

As she read it, her brow furrowed. Sebastian glanced worriedly at her and Alois began reading over her shoulder.

"Amber's been kidnapped?" Alois said incredulously.

"Along with some other girls from the high school. But why would someone kidnap girls?" Ciel set the letter down.

"It couldn't be Drocell again" Sebastian said.

"The doll guy? No, I don't think so. There should be something linking all these girls together" Ciel said.

"Could this be related to the prostitute case?" Claude asked.

"But the demon's dead. Sebastian saw to him" Ciel replied.

"Maybe the demon wasn't looking for food for himself. He might have taking the souls for someone else" Alois suggested.

"That's a pretty large amount for just one demon. One soul would probably satisfy a demon for three months or so" Sebastian said.

"What if it's a young demon?" Ciel asked.

"Then it would last him for two months give or take" Claude replied.

"This is ridiculous! We're getting late for school" Alois said.

They ran out the door and got to school. They were handed detention slips for coming in late but at least this would at least give them time to think about the case. School flew by but there were many students missing mainly the girls.

"How do these girls get kidnapped? There must be something there" Ciel said.

"Ciel, look outside" Alois said.

Outside the window, Ciel could see a girl with black hair and pale skin walk across the quad. She was met by a boy with brown curly hair and tanned skin. She seemed wary of him first but then she gradually relaxed around him. He then pointed somewhere and then she began following him.

"Could that be it?" Ciel asked.

"I don't know but I have a hunch. Let's go" Alois grabbed his bag and they followed the boy and girl.

"Isn't that Mitchie from my Biology class?" Ciel asked and Alois nodded.

They continued following them and then they reached the beach.

"Why is he taking her all the way here?" Alois asked and Ciel shrugged.

They followed for a little bit longer and then spotted a small cabin.

"Are the girls in there?" Ciel asked.

They both crept over to the window and then peeked inside.

"I can't see anything" Ciel said and turned to Alois.

Her eyes widened as saw an unfamiliar man hit a large metal rod right at the back of Alois's head. Before Ciel could run, arms wrapped around her waist to stop her. Then a cloth was clamped on her mouth and she lost consciousness.

"Ciel? Ciel wake up!"

Ciel opened her eyes and then sat up quickly. Next to her Alois was tied up and his face had bruises on the chin and cheek. His blond locks were dyed red at the back of his head.

"You okay?" Ciel asked.

"I'm fine. How about you?" Alois looked over her and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw there were no injuries on her body.

"Where are we?"

"I don't know. I'm guessing by the smell and the freezing cold temperature we're in a morgue" Alois replied.

"Did you see who brought us here?" Ciel asked sitting up.

"I saw a guy with a lab coat but nothing else" Alois replied.

"Did you summon Claude yet?"

"Yeah I have but I think he's waiting for the right time to show himself" Alois replied.

"Why am I not tied up like you?"

Ciel stood up and then began looking around for places to escape.

"No point, those windows have some short of electric thing that shocks people when they try to touch it" Alois said.

"It seems my newest experiment has a bit of curiosity" An unfamiliar voice commented.

Ciel whirled around and saw the same curly hair boy from the quad. But his hair was gelled down and there was stubble on his face which made him look older.

"Who are you?" Ciel asked.

"I am Professor Lindstrom. Pleasure to meet you, Countess Phantomhive, Earl Trancy. I am so sorry we could not meet under more pleasant circumstances" the boy replied.

"How can you be a professor? You're barely older than I am" Alois said.

"I am actually 105 years old, Earl Trancy" Lindstrom replied.

"How can that be?" Ciel asked.

"My body was frozen in an experiment and I was thawed out a few months ago only to see how wonderfully science had advanced. Now I am making my own experiments" Lindstrom replied.

"Is that why you've been kidnapping the girls from our school? To use them on your experiments?" Ciel asked.

"I see the intelligence in the Phantomhive line has not faded. Your grandfather Lucas had quite an aptitude for science" Lindstrom replied.

"But why girls? Actually, what kind of experiments are you conducting?" Alois asked.

"The experiments that can make a person have superhuman powers. In fact, your friend Linda took quite well to it however she died three days later" Lindstrom said and Ciel's mouth fell open.

"Too bad, she was ugly" Lindstrom shrugged it off.

"How can you just let someone's life be wasted like this?" Alois asked.

"This is not a waste, it is for science" Lindstrom said.

"Where are the rest of the girls?" Ciel asked.

"In there" Lindstrom pointed to the large freezer and Ciel stood up.

She ran over and began pulling open random drawers. She finally found Amber and then pressed her fingers against the blonde's neck to check her pulse.

"She's dead"

Ciel took a step back and was steadied by Lindstrom.

"You're next sweetheart"

"Ciel!" Alois screamed as he saw the syringe in Lindstrom's hands.

The door to the morgue burst open. Ciel was pushed away from Lindstrom and landed on Alois's tied up body. Claude leaned Ciel against the wall and tore off Alois's bonds. Alois latched on to Claude immediately and Ciel watched as Sebastian tore Lindstrom's heart out with his bare hands.

Sebastian picked Ciel up and then walked out of the morgue. Claude carried Alois out and then put him in the backseat of Sebastian's car. Ciel sat down next to Alois who took her hand and squeezed it.

"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked Ciel.

Ciel's face crumpled and she began to cry. Sebastian wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried.

"She didn't cry when she saw Worthington. I guess seeing Amber dead set her off"

"I'm not crying because she's dead!" Ciel said between sobs.

"Then what are you crying about?" Alois asked exasperated.

"I'm happy because she's dead. She's finally gone" Ciel replied with a large grin and fat tears running down her face.

"What?" Claude and Alois said together and then Sebastian began to laugh.

"She is really like him in the most strangest of ways" He commented between laughs.

"Ding dong the witch is dead, rub your eyes, get out of that bed. Let them know, the wicked old witch is dead" Ciel sang and Alois laughed.

"We should go" Claude said to Sebastian who nodded.

Back at the house Alois kept on crying out at the pain when Claude treated his wounds.

"Grow some balls man" Ciel said.

She was currently getting her hair trimmed courtesy of Sebastian.

"You should really grow your hair. It brings out the blue of your eyes" Sebastian said and Ciel blushed.

"Done yet?" Alois asked Claude who shook his head.

"The mansion is now complete. The servants will be arriving tonight" Sebastian said.

"Who'd you get as servants?" Ciel asked.

"Four other demons of course. They served Alois Trancy in 1889 and knew Ciel Phantomhive as well so they are the perfect servants" Claude replied.

"Cool. I wonder what their reactions would be when they see Ciel" Alois said.

"I doubt they'll be much surprised" Sebastian replied and Ciel chuckled.

"Where's Luke?" Alois asked.

"In bed. I doubt you two realize what time it is" Claude replied.

"It's only seven and you sent him to bed?" Ciel asked.

"He has to be up early tomorrow for a school project" Claude replied.

"We've been so caught up in our duties that we didn't even realize that Luke's been safe or not" Alois commented.

"Before the weather gets any colder we should go to the beach or an amusement park with him" Ciel suggested.

"Or we get him a lot of stuff for his room at the manor" Alois said.

"That sounds better than going to the beach" Sebastian said.

"So next week, we'll move into the mansion" Ciel pumped her fist in the air.


	16. Chapter 16

"This is amazing!" Ciel said the minute she entered the Phantomhive mansion.

"You're right about that" Alois said and Luke jumped up and down in excitement.

"Big bro, is this going to be our home now?" He asked and Ciel nodded.

"You have your very own room too. Claude, show him his room" Alois replied and Claude took Luke's hand to lead him up the stairs.

"Would you like to see your rooms?" Sebastian asked.

"Sure!" Alois and Ciel said in unison.

They followed Sebastian up the stairs and still looked around the mansion. It had been beautifully decorated and it had been modernized completely. The classical look was there but now there were light switches on the walls and overhead lights.

"I converted one of the rooms to manage the security of the mansion and I also converted the stables into a garage for the cars" Sebastian was saying and Ciel stopped when she saw a large portrait of her parents.

"Where did this come from? Wasn't this destroyed in the fire?" Ciel asked.

"I found it in the basement and decided to hang it up here" Sebastian replied and Ciel turned to him her eyes full of tears.

"Thank you" She murmured and Alois patted her shoulder in comfort.

"Your room is right over here" Sebastian pulled out a key and unlocked the door at the end of the hallway.

The door opened and Ciel stepped inside. Her eyes widened when she saw the large double bed made up just for her. There was a chandelier overhead and her ceiling was covered with glow-in-the-dark stars. Standing near the window was a woman dressed in a maid's uniform.

"Welcome, my young mistress" She said with a polite curtsy.

"Who is this?" Ciel asked Sebastian.

"This is Hannah. She will be your personal maid from now on" Sebastian replied.

Ciel turned to Alois who seemed to have turned red. She followed his line of vision and saw he was staring at Hannah with little hearts in his eyes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Hannah. I'll try and make the least of problems for you. I hope you'll enjoy working here" Ciel said politely.

"Thank you my lady" Hannah curtsied again.

"Come, let's see Alois's room" Sebastian said.

He led Ciel and Alois out and finally Alois's blush receded.

"Got a crush on the maid?" Ciel asked and Alois turned bright red.

"Your room is right across the hallway" Sebastian pushed the door open and Claude bowed to them from where he was standing next to the bed.

"Claude will be your butler during your stay" Sebastian said.

"But what about you? What will you do if Hannah's taking care of me?" Ciel asked.

"I shall be the steward. It will be rather suspicious if I live here and be your teacher at the same time. I'll keep my current apartment but I'll live here just like I used to do at the old house" Sebastian replied.

Ciel smiled at that and then Sebastian took them down to the kitchens. There they met three triplet demons.

"This is Thompson, Timber and Canterbury" Sebastian said.

"How do you tell them apart?" Alois asked.

"Their hair. They don't talk much either" Claude replied.

"Nice to meet you" Ciel said and the triplets nodded.

"Time for lunch" Sebastian announced.

They were taken upstairs where Luke was already seated waiting for lunch.

"This house is so cool! My room is so big. Claude showed me so many video games and I have a TV in my room" Luke babbled on and on.

"Make sure you still concentrate on school, Luke. Otherwise you can kiss those things goodbye" Alois warned.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he works hard" Claude said.

"Lady Ciel, what time would you like me to wake you tomorrow?" Hannah asked which prompted Alois to go off into a blushing fit.

"Sebastian, is there something important on our schedule?" Ciel asked.

"Tomorrow there is a joint memorial for all the girls who were killed in Professor Lindstrom's experiments" Sebastian replied.

"What time?" Alois asked.

"At noon and then it is followed by lunch in the city hall" Sebastian replied.

"Hannah, prepare my clothes for tomorrow. I'll come by to see your selection" Ciel said and Hannah curtsied in response.

Ciel wandered about in the rose garden after lunch. The roses were of different colors and scents which she loved. She plucked out a white rose and placed it in her hair. She took a step and the rose fell out of her hair. Before it could hit the ground, it was caught by Sebastian.

Sebastian stepped forward and then tucked the rose carefully behind her ear.

"I very much enjoyed your dance routine" Sebastian commented and Ciel blushed as she remembered.

_"Thank you Mike and Rachel. That was very entertaining" Sebastian said after a entertaining salsa routine. _

_Mike and Rachel bowed and walked off the stage with flushed faces. _

_"Next we have Ciel and Alois" Sebastian announced looking down at the list. _

_Alois walked onto the stage dressed in dark jeans and a black tee shirt. His hair had been combed back and held into place with hair gel. Ciel walked right behind him dressed in black satin shorts and a black satin fitted tee shirt. Her pale bare legs were covered with black shin length boots. She had even worn a wig of long black hair which she had tied back in a high ponytail. _

_"What genre will you two be performing?" Sebastian asked. _

_"We mixed ballroom and tango together" Alois replied and Sebastian gestured for them to continue. _

_Madonna's La Isla Bonita began playing as Alois took Ciel's hands and twirled her into his arms. They began a fast paced footwork and Sebastian noted that Ciel's hands seemed to be shaking. Then they separated and Ciel literally threw herself at Alois who caught her expertly and threw her into the air. Ciel did a flip in midair and then was caught by Alois who lowered her onto her feet. _

_What surprised Sebastian the most was that Ciel sang all that Spanish parts of the song. Most of all, her movements were graceful and poised while Alois took the lead wonderfully. They finished to applause and Sebastian gave a nod of approval. _

_"Thank you. That concludes the dance final. After the break you'll get your results" Sebastian said. _

"It was rather enjoyable to watch you" Sebastian said and Ciel swatted at his arm.

"It was really difficult to practice" Ciel complained.

"But it was worth it" Sebastian pointed out and Ciel nodded.

"Sebastian can I ask you something?"

"You just did"

"Do you like me?" She asked and Sebastian stiffened. He had to admit, Ciel was alot like her ancestor in many ways.

"Of course I like you. You are my mistress" Sebastian replied dodging the question.

"Sebastian, do you love me?" Ciel asked.

Sebastian hung his head. "Yes mistress".

"Then why don't you say so?" Ciel asked and then reached up and wrap her arms around Sebastian's shoulders.

"Because the time wasn't right" Sebastian replied.

"What better time than the present?" Ciel asked before leaning up and kissing him.


	17. Chapter 17

Ciel stood beside Sebastian as the school principal gave a speech about the girls who had died in Lindstrom's experiments. Alois seemed bored and kept yawning often. Claude was seated with his back straight. Soon after the speech, lunchtime arrived. Ciel and Alois walked through the buffet, selecting different dishes to try.

They sat down with Claude since Sebastian had gone to give their condolences to the family. It had spread like wildfire that the Queen's Dog and Spider had found the dead bodies and given Lindstrom a proper punishment.

"Ciel, that woman keeps staring at you" Alois pointed out.

"Which woman?" Ciel asked looking around.

She spotted a woman dressed in a beautiful black dress and black blazer. She was staring right at Ciel who stiffened.

"Maybe she wants to talk to you" Alois suggested.

"She's pretty" Ciel commented.

"Maybe you should approach her" Claude said.

Ciel stood up and began walking towards the woman. The woman turned and then began walking away.

"Excuse me!" Ciel said walking faster now.

The woman finally stopped near a small fountain. Ciel stopped right next to her.

"I saw you staring at me" Ciel said and the woman smiled.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Countess Phantomhive. I am Alfreda, Duchess of York. I have come specifically to meet you" She said.

"You could have come to my home, Duchess. There was no need to approach me here" Ciel said.

"I am not permitted to leave my home without my husband's permission, Countess. I have come to you for help" Alfreda said.

"What sort of help?" Ciel asked.

"My husband is becoming more dangerous by the minute. We don't really get along because of my drinking problem but for the last month we have become even more distant. I feel like my life is in danger" Alfreda replied.

"I don't think it is my right to come into your marriage, Duchess"

"Please help me. I'm sure he will kill me even though I haven't touched a drop of alcohol in two weeks" Alfreda begged.

"I'll see what I can do, Duchess" Ciel said.

"Countess, if something does happen to me then make sure to punish my husband the way he deserves" Alfreda said.

"I shall try" Ciel replied.

"Thank you Countess" Alfreda said.

Ciel nodded and then returned to her lunch. The next day a letter arrived from the Queen.

"What does it say?" Ciel asked draining her mug of tea.

"We have to investigate the death of Alfreda, the Duchess of York" Alois replied and Ciel choked on her tea.

"What's the matter?" Sebastian asked.

"I met her just yesterday, the woman who was staring at me at the memorial. She asked me to help her because she thinks her husband was going to kill her" Ciel replied.

"Her husband was going to kill her? Why would her husband kill her?" Alois asked.

"I don't know but she asked me to help. She said that if something happened to her then to make sure her husband was punished" Ciel replied.

"Who is her husband?" Alois asked.

"World chess champion, Frederick Taylor" Sebastian replied.

"Chess champion? How can that be?" Alois asked.

"We need to investigate this thoroughly. First, we go find the body and then investigate the Duke of York" Ciel said.

They entered the Undertaker's shop where he was busy washing his hands.

"I made her all pretty. Not that she needed it" he said hugging an anatomy dummy to himself.

"What was the cause of death?" Ciel asked.

"Cardiac arrest or heart attack. She suffered for two minutes before dying" Undertaker replied.

"So her husband didn't kill her" Alois said.

"Something is fishy. Why did she accuse her husband of killing her? Why was she afraid of her husband? She had a drinking problem but then why did she ask me to punish him?" Ciel said.

"Maybe she was tipsy and it was just the alcohol talking" Alois said.

"Tongues are freerier with alcohol. There is something going on with her husband" Ciel pointed out.

They returned home and began their research.

"The Duke of York has a lot of money but rather a small estate. Most of his money goes into buying rare chess boards and pieces. He invests in property and horses" Sebastian reported.

"What about his life with his wife?" Ciel asked.

"They seem to be fine with no problems according to eyewitnesses and news articles" Sebastian replied.

"Maybe they did have problems but no one knew about it. It's all about keeping appearances" Claude suggested.

"I still feel like that Duchess was drunk" Alois said.

"Then screw you! She asked me for help and I told her I would help her. I gave her my word and I never go back on my word" Ciel said standing up and stalking up the stairs.

"I didn't think morals like hers existed in this century" Sebastian said.

"Master, you shouldn't have done that. We should just go with what Lady Ciel says" Claude said.

"Fine, I'll go apologize" Alois stood and walked up the stairs.

He opened the door to his room and found Ciel seated with her laptop. Onscreen was a picture of the Duchess and her husband the Duke of York. They were both smiling and looked happy.

"I'm sorry. I should have supported you on this hunch. If you want we can go search the Duke's home. We have the Queen's seal which can give us permission" Alois said.

"She looks so happy here" Ciel said in reply to his apology.

"Looks can be deceiving" Alois pointed out.

"Okay then, let's go" Ciel said.

They drove to the Duke's home which was a large mansion but not as large as the one they lived in.

"Rather a conservative home for a Duke" Alois said taking off his sunglasses and tucking them into a shirt pocket.

"It's just the two of them" Ciel pointed out and Alois nodded.

They were welcomed inside by the butler who was named Harry. He seated Ciel and Alois with tea.

"Welcome, Earl Trancy and Countess Phantomhive" The Duke of York said as he stepped into the room.

"Pleasure to meet you" Alois said and Ciel remained silent.

"Countess Phantomhive, your resemblance to your ancestor is astounding" The Duke said.

The Duke himself was at the age of thirty two with expertly styled black hair and deep blue eyes. He was dressed in a blue suit with expensive black shoes.

"We have been given orders by the Queen to investigate your wife's death, so I hope you don't mind our butlers taking a search of your home" Ciel said.

"Of course. My wife and I slept in different rooms because we had some issues between us" The Duke said.

"If you didn't love her then why not divorce her?" Alois asked.

"I had to keep up pretense in front of the press. Actually the main problem was her drinking. I never knew when she was tipsy and when she was sober" The Duke replied.

"I'm actually rather good friends with your wife but she told me that she hasn't touched a drop of alcohol in a good two weeks" Ciel said and the Duke stiffened.

"Do you enjoy chess, Countess?"

"I've never tried the game, sir. My ancestor might have been amazing at the game but I have never tried my hand at it" Ciel replied.

"I'm actually a world chess champion at the moment. Chess is not just a hobby, it is my passion, my life. The way I win is that I am two steps ahead of my opponent" The Duke said.

"Fascinating" Alois said but barely stifled his yawn.

"If you want, Countess, we could have a game right now" The Duke offered and Ciel smiled.

"Master" "Mistress"

"Yes?"

"We may leave now" Sebastian said.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, sir" Ciel said.

As soon as they were seated in the car, Claude reported on his findings.

"Sebastian found a diamond earring inside the Duke's closet. We didn't find anything in the Duchess's room except an opened pack of mints on the bedside table"

"One diamond earring? Did it belong to his wife?" Ciel asked.

"If it did, why not return it?" Alois asked.

"So our Duke had a secret lover. Sebastian, bring the Duke's credit card statements and his phone call list as soon as we get home" Ciel said.

They returned home and Ciel stood in front of a large blackboard. She lifted up the chalk and then wrote down 'Alfreda'. Next to the name she wrote 'Duke-husband'. Then she began listing down what they had found.

"It seems he was calling one woman relentlessly. Her name is Julie Day and she lives in an apartment in London just two miles away from the Duke's home" Sebastian said.

"We need to interrogate Julie about this. I suspect that earring belongs to her" Ciel said.


	18. Chapter 18

"Yes the Duke and I had an affair but we broke ago a week ago" Julie said.

She was a pretty woman. Her blond hair was tied up into a high ponytail and her large blue eyes were wide and innocent. She was short but curvy and had a sexy smile which practically drew men to her.

"So why did you two break up?" Ciel asked.

"I got a call from the Duchess a week ago. She told me to stay away from her husband and that he was a murderer. It sounded like she was drunk. At first I thought she was just jealous and that it was normal for her to tell me to back off her husband. I told the Duke about it and he seemed rather upset about it. Then I decided not to put myself into problems and broke it off"

"So you broke off amicably?" Alois asked.

"Yes he was fine with it" Julie replied.

Ciel nodded and then looked around the bookshelves. There were various books of different areas of finance and then she spotted a green colored spine in the midst of all that large tomes.

"What work do you do?" Ciel asked suddenly.

"I'm a financial investments advisor" Julie replied.

"Then why is a book on botany in your shelf?" Ciel stood and pulled out the book.

"That isn't mine. It must be the Duke's" Julie said.

"But didn't you return all the gifts that the Duke gave you? Then why leave this book?"

"He never gave a book as a gift. He must have left it somewhere the last time he was over. My maid must have just kept it back on the shelf. I should return it" Julie said.

"Don't worry ma'am, we'll return it to him" Ciel said and then tucked the book into her bag.

They returned home and Ciel began reading the book.

"So the Duchess was lying. She had been drinking during those two weeks but privately. But then why phone Julie and tell her that the Duke was a murderer?" Alois asked.

"How did he become chess champion?" Ciel asked keeping her eyes on the book.

"He wasn't the chess champion last year. There was an American named Kevin who had the title. He apparently died during the final match because of a heart attack which made the Duke become champion" Claude replied.

"Kevin died the same way as the Duchess" Alois pointed.

"And this is how he did it" Ciel stood and held out the open page she had been reading.

"What plant is that?" Alois asked.

"Apparently called Oriandor, this plant's flower's nectar makes a deadly poison which gives the victim a heart attack and soon enough death after a few minutes" Ciel replied.

"I saw that plant at the Duke's mansion" Sebastian said.

"So the Duke killed Kevin first. Somehow the Duchess found out about it and now she's dead. Why kill his wife?" Alois asked.

"We don't have proof that he killed Kevin" Ciel pointed out.

"Unless he confesses himself" Claude said.

"I think it's time to give the Duke a visit. Alone" Ciel said closing the book.

"Alone? Ciel, I don't think that's such a good idea" Alois said.

"He wants a game? I'll give him a game" Ciel declared.

"You don't even know how to play chess!" Alois exclaimed.

"I don't, but Ciel does" Ciel replied tapping her head.

Sebastian smirked and so did Claude.

"Lady Ciel, time for bed" Hannah said with a curtsie as she came in. Alois turned bright red in an instant.

"Let's go, Hannah. Tomorrow night I'll pay the Duke a little visit. You'll listen to my plan in the morning" Ciel said.

She walked off and Hannah tucked her into bed. The next morning Ciel began making her plan. At night, Sebastian drove Ciel to the mansion.

"You have to be careful" Sebastian said.

"I know he thinks two steps ahead of his opponent. Don't worry about me. Grandfather Ciel will help me along the way" Ciel said and then got out of the car.

She was dressed in casual jeans and a blue tee shirt. She knocked on the door of the mansion and it was opened by Harry.

"Welcome back Countess Phantomhive. The master has been expecting you" Harry said with a bow.

Ciel nodded and followed Harry inside. The Duke was seated in his study with a newly assembled chess board in front of him. The Duke was seated behind the black pieces. Ciel smirked as she realized he was letting her make the first move.

"Are you here to take me up on my offer of a game?" The Duke asked.

"No, I have no interest of playing a game with you" Ciel replied with a smile.

"After so long I have found an opponent worthy of playing a game with. You should be happy, Countess, because I find you worthy of this game" The Duke said.

"I have no interest in playing a superficial game. I prefer playing in the real world like this. Just like you" Ciel replied.

"But you can't beat me. Even Kevin tried but died in the process"

"Kevin and your wife's death are related. But I can't prove it" Ciel said.

"You're giving up so easily? The Queen's Guard Dog is giving up? I had great expectations from you" The Duke said with a smirk.

"Have you ever seen a lion chase deer before? Sometimes the lion catches the deer and sometimes the deer is so fast that the lion stops the chase. You know why? Because the lion knows when to stop and in this jungle there are lots of other deer. In this city there are lots of other criminals for me to catch" Ciel replied.

"I like your thinking. Let's start the game over a drink. I've ordered the most expensive champagne just for you"

The Duke stood and went over to the mini fridge. He pulled two champagne flutes and poured out the wine. He turned to return the bottle and Ciel pulled out a small packet of powder. She opened it silently and poured it into a glass. She stood innocently as the Duke turned around.

The Duke then reached out and grabbed Ciel's glass. Ciel stared at him in confusion.

"You should learn by now, Countess. I always think two steps ahead of my opponent. Putting something in another person's drink is a rather old trick" The Duke drained his glass of wine and sat back down on his chair.

Ciel leaned against the empty chair opposite the Duke just as the smile fell off his face. The glass fell from the Duke's hand as he began to shiver uncontrollably.

"You put something in your own glass. You knew that I would switch the glasses and take yours. What did you put in there?" The Duke asked.

"Exactly the same thing you put in Kevin and the Duchess's glass. Oriandor powder. In just a few minutes you will have a heart attack and then die. No one will suspect me" Ciel replied.

"You can't do this!"

"I know. I'm not like you so I'm giving you a chance. Confess what you did and I'll give you the antidote" Ciel said.

There was no answer from the Duke.

"Okay then, goodbye" Ciel turned to leave. "Wait!"

She turned back to see the Duke staring at her with hatred.

"I killed Kevin because I couldn't beat him. I couldn't become number one without beating him. So the day of the match I mixed the powder in his water bottle. He drank some water during the match and then got a heart attack. No one suspected me for anything since they though he died by natural reasons"

Ciel sat down and continued listening.

"It was our wedding anniversary and I drank a lot in celebration. I was drunk and I confessed to Alfreda that I had killed Kevin. She began pushing me away and not even talking to me. She stared drinking uncontrollably. Then I met Julie. When Alfreda found out about Julie, she called Julie and in her drunken state told her about me being a murderer. I realized that when she was drunk Alfreda could tell anyone about my crime"

The Duke took in large gasps of air and his chest constricted.

"Then what?" Ciel asked.

"I mixed the powder in Alfreda's alcohol stash she hid under her bed. Then I left for Wales and she died with a heart attack. When I returned I threw away her stash to remove suspicion from me. Please give me the antidote" The Duke replied.

"I didn't mix Oriandor powder in your drink" Ciel said and the Duke stared at her in shock.

"I mixed in something that would give a strong case of acidity. You thought you had a heart attack because your chest was constricting. Drink this" Ciel tossed a glass bottle at the Duke.

The Duke began to laugh.

"Acidity? This means I never confessed and I never did anything wrong. You can't prove anything now" He said.

"I've learnt from you that you should think two steps ahead. This had taken down your confession" Ciel pulled out her phone. "My butler has been sent this confession via Bluetooth. Even if you take me down, you can't do anything to my butler".

The Duke stared at the phone which Ciel tucked into her jeans. She stood and leaned over the chess board. She smiled when she pushed the black King down with her finger. The sound of the chess piece falling echoed around the room.

"Checkmate"


	19. Chapter 19

"That was rather impressive" Sebastian commented as he watched Ciel comb her hair.

"I can be rather shrewd when I want to be" Ciel said setting down her brush.

"Where is Hannah?" Sebastian asked.

"I sent her off for the night. I wanted to be alone" Ciel replied.

"Then I should leave" Sebastian was about to turn when a chuckle from Ciel stopped him.

"You never let me finish. I want to be alone with you" Ciel said between chuckles.

She stood and made her way over to Sebastian. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him close.

"We seem to hug more than anything else in this relationship" Sebastian commented as he placed his arms around her.

"When I was little, my mother had a tradition in her life. Whenever she left home, she would hug everyone. She would hug the maid, the cook and the butler. Then she would hug my father and then me. One day I asked her why she did this. Do you know what she answered?"

"No"

"She told me that in case she met her death out there, she would die happy that she hugged her daughter one final time" Ciel replied and Sebastian hugged her just a little tighter.

"So I want to memorize the feeling of being in your arms. Just in case something happens to me or to you" Ciel said.

"I won't let anything happen to you" Sebastian tilted Ciel's chin up and kissed her lips.

Ciel pressed herself against Sebastian as their tongues intertwined and then began to fight for dominance. Sebastian picked up Ciel's slim body and then lowered her onto her double bed, still continuing their kiss. Ciel sighed as Sebastian's lips quickly kissed down her chin to her collarbone and neck.

"Sebastian..."

Sebastian held himself up on his elbows as he gazed down at Ciel's flushed face.

"Ciel, you are truly beautiful" Sebastian said and Ciel smiled.

She reached over and placed a hand against his pale cheek.

"Sebastian, I love you" Ciel said and Sebastian smiled.

He kissed her deeply, his tongue reveling in her taste. "I love you mistress. I love you so much" He whispered between kisses.

Ciel reached out and pushed Sebastian's jacket off his shoulders. Sebastian paused for a moment and then saw the look of lust in Ciel's eyes.

"Ciel, stop" Sebastian said firmly.

Ciel stopped immediately and then looked up at Sebastian questioningly. Sebastian sighed and then rolled off of Ciel and Ciel sat up.

"Aren't we moving a little too fast?" Sebastian asked.

"For the 19th century yes, for this century no" Ciel replied.

"In that case..." Sebastian reared up and attacked Ciel in a fierce kiss.

Alois sighed as he walked around the manor. He was restless since Ciel had returned from her visit to the Duke. He had been worried but now he just couldn't get to sleep. Maybe it was because Ciel and Sebastian were getting cozy in her room or maybe it was because the maid, Hannah was just too beautiful for words.

"Master?" Speak of the devil.

"Yes, Hannah?" Alois asked.

"Is there something bothering you, Master? You should be asleep by now"

"No, I just needed some fresh air" Alois replied.

"Should I fetch Claude?" Hannah asked.

"No, there's no need for him" Alois entered the study and sat down on an armchair.

Hannah stood dutifully in front of him and Alois stared at her from head to toe.

"Hannah, you are very beautiful. If you weren't a maid of this manor, I would have taken you for my very own the minute I had seen you" Alois said.

"Isn't it the maid's duty to accommodate her master?" Hannah asked innocently.

Alois stared at her and then beckoned her to come closer. He stood up and then realised she was even more beautiful up close. They were of the same height so Alois pulled Hannah into a lust filled kiss.

"Master..."

Alois grabbed Hannah's hand and dragged her off. He slammed the door of his bedroom shut and threw Hannah none too gently onto the bed. He climbed over her and continued his assault on her body and face.

Claude smirked as he heard the passionate noises being released from Ciel's room. No doubt Sebastian was the cause of those sounds coming from Ciel's mouth. Then he stopped suddenly. There were another series of noises coming from Alois's room. He walked through the hallways until he reached Alois's room.

"Master..." "Hannah..."

Claude froze as he realized who was with Alois. His fist clenched as Hannah moaned loudly and then heard Alois's growl. He took a few steps away from the door and turned around to leave. He entered his rarely used bedroom and sat down on the bed. He fisted his hair in his hands and then slowly began to cry. His master wanted another. His master wanted a woman like Hannah not a man like Claude.

He let out a muffled scream into the pillow and finally succumbed to the numbness that heartbreak brought.

The birds chirped happily the next day as Ciel woke up in Sebastian's arms. She smiled up at Sebastian who immediately pulled her into a deep kiss. She could feel his worry and happiness behind the kiss.

"I'm fine, Sebastian" She reassured him and then sat up.

"You'd better cover yourself up before the lust clouds my thoughts again" Sebastian warned and Ciel let out a laugh.

She quickly pulled on her PJ shorts and loose tee shirt that she had worn to bed. She climbed back into bed and then began tracing Sebastian's face with her fingers.

"What are you doing?" he asked, letting her continue her ministrations.

"Yesterday we were too quick. I didn't even get to look at you properly" Ciel replied.

Her hands went over his shoulders, arms, hands and finally his long fingers. She then ran her hands over his chest which was nicely toned but lean just the way she liked it.

"I'm going to shower. See you at breakfast?" Ciel asked.

"Of course" Sebastian replied.

Alois awoke alone since he knew Hannah had left for her morning duties. He sat up and then glanced over at the empty spot beside him. Even Hannah didn't want to stay by his side. Nobody wanted him. His parents didn't want him and preferred Luke. His friends left him after his parents died. The only ones who wanted him were Ciel and Luke. No one else loved him.

The minute Sebastian entered the kitchens, he knew something was wrong. There was a smirk on Hannah's face and Claude was nowhere to be seen. The triplets were busy in their own duties and Sebastian approached Hannah.

"Where is Claude?" Sebastian asked.

"In his room" Hannah replied.

Sebastian went to the servants' quarters and then opened the door to Claude's room. He saw Claude lying on the bed with his eyes closed, his hands folded on his stomach. His glasses were still on his face and he looked peaceful.

"Claude?"

Sebastian reached out and shook Claude's shoulder. Claude's eyes shot open and then he sat up.

"What time is it?" Claude asked.

"Eight. You should be in the kitchens making breakfast" Sebastian replied.

"I'm truly sorry. I was so exhausted last night that I fell asleep" Claude said.

"Claude, you're a demon, we don't sleep" Sebastian pointed out.

"What are you talking about? I'm human, just like Master and Mistress" Claude said.

"Stop jesting, Claude. You're a demon not a human" Sebastian warned.

"If I wasn't human would I be able to do this?" Claude's face screwed up for a second and then he let out a loud fart.

Sebastian snorted but then realized something. He pulled off Claude's glove and then touched his skin. It was warm not the freezing cold temperature that demons had.

"How did you turn into a human?" Sebastian asked and Claude shrugged.


	20. Chapter 20

"So he turned into a human? Is that even possible?" Ciel asked staring at Claude drank a cup of tea.

"He doesn't remember what happened to him. He just remembers falling asleep in his bed and waking up this morning" Sebastian replied.

"It is possible when a demon suffers a rather large shock" Hannah said.

"So how do we turn him back?" Alois asked staring at Claude as he took a bite of the fried eggs.

"He needs to remember what set him off. Until then he's stuck like this" Hannah replied.

"Where were you last night?" Ciel asked Alois.

"Where were you?" Alois countered.

"In my room with Sebastian" Ciel replied without a hint of embarrassment.

"I was in my room with Hannah" Alois said.

"Where were the triplets?" Ciel asked Hannah.

"They were hunting for the night" Hannah replied and Alois shuddered at the thought.

"So it shouldn't be any of us that gave him a shock. He must have seen or heard something that shocked him beyond belief" Ciel concluded.

"But what?" Alois asked.

"In the meantime I'll take over his duties. You two should talk to him and try to find a solution" Sebastian said.

Ciel sighed and then stood up.

"I'm going to my study. I'll see you all later"

She walked into the study and then went over to the stereo system near the window. She plugged in her iPod and began selecting a song. Finally she chose 'Jiya Dhadak Dhadak' from the Indian movie Kalyug and sat down to read. The flute melody calmed her down some from the drama of the morning and soon she was humming along to the song.

Soon enough her thoughts went to Claude. He had seemed fine the night before when she had returned from the Duke's mansion. She had bidden him goodnight before going to her room with Sebastian. Something must have happened during that time and before Claude had gone to sleep.

She stood and went to the intercom on the wall.

"Send the triplets to my study" Ciel said into the intercom and then seated herself on the armchair again.

The triplets knocked and then entered the study. Ciel stared at them and then smiled.

"I heard you all were out hunting last night. Did you eat your fill?" She asked.

All three of them nodded.

"Thompson, what time did you return?" Ciel asked.

Thompson held up one finger in one hand and two fingers on the other hand.

"Midnight? Was Claude in his room by then?" Ciel asked and Thompson shook his head.

"Why didn't you tell Hannah that you had returned before Claude went to his room?" Ciel asked.

All three of them gave her a look that said 'She didn't ask'. Ciel chuckled and the triplets smirked.

"So did you hear where Claude was in the mansion before going to his room?" Ciel asked.

They all nodded.

"Can you tell me where?" Ciel asked and the triplets pointed to the door.

"Show me" she said and followed them out.

The triplets led her down the stairs and then into the parlor. There they mimicked Claude cleaning and locking the doors. Then they walked up the stairs and took Ciel to the hallway where her and Alois's rooms were located.

"He came here? Why would he be here?" Ciel asked and the triplets shrugged.

"I was with Sebastian so he wouldn't be interested in that" Ciel mused pacing.

The triplets watched her and then glanced at each other.

"But he loves Alois so... Alois was with Hannah yesterday! So that's what shocked him. But why did he turn human? And why doesn't he remember?"

She then remembered the triplets were standing there.

"Thank you. You may leave. For your reward, you can hunt for two more nights this month" Ciel said and the triplets nodded.

They went off and Ciel went to find Claude. He was alone in the library reading a book.

"Lady Ciel. Is there something I can do for you?" Claude asked setting down the book.

"Claude, I want you to think carefully. Do you remember anything from last night? Anything at all?" Ciel asked sitting down next to Claude.

"Not at all. This is actually ridiculous" Claude replied.

"How about we retrace your steps? Maybe then you can remember" Ciel suggested.

"I'm willing to try anything" Claude replied and he stood to follow Ciel.

Sebastian sighed as he watched Alois's pathetic attempts at flirting with Hannah. Hannah had a smirk on her face as she shot Alois down at every single attempt.

"It's nearly time for lunch. Hannah serve lunch, I shall go fetch Ciel" Sebastian said and then left the kitchen.

"Are they together now?" Hannah asked Alois who nodded.

"I'm betting Ciel asked Sebastian right up and front about his feelings" Alois replied.

There were a few minutes of silence and Alois spoke.

"Do you love me Hannah?"

Hannah turned and then gave him a piteous smile.

"No, Master. I am just following your orders" She replied and Alois slumped onto the counter.

"Master, there is someone who loves you the way you want him to. He is in your reach but you cannot see him" Hannah said.

"Him? Who is it?" Alois asked his eyes full of hope.

"You will have to find him, Master. I cannot help you in that" Hannah replied and then she left the kitchens.

Alois stood up and walked out of the kitchen. He saw Hannah right at the end of the hallway and then began running towards her. Ciel looked up as Alois barrelled right towards Claude. Claude, caught by surprise fell onto the floor and Alois straddled him.

"You will love me. You will!" Alois screamed and then lowered his lips onto Claude's.

Claude responded immediately and then rolled Alois over so now he was on top.

"Alois, stop it! Claude!" Ciel shouted and Sebastian was by her side in an instant.

"My, my. Lunch is already ten minutes behind schedule" Sebastian said and then reached out to push Claude off of Alois.

Alois laid spread-eagled on the floor, panting. Claude was leaning against the wall, his hand covering his mouth.

"That had to be the best kiss I've ever had in my life" Alois said looking over at Claude.

When he spotted Claude's flushed face, he sat up.

"Did I kiss you? Where did Hannah go?" Alois asked.

"I placed a illusion over your mind, Master" Hannah said appearing out of nowhere.

"Why did you do that?" Alois asked.

"To make you understand who you truly love, Master and who truly loves you" Hannah replied.

Alois stared at Claude who was looking away from him.

"Claude, do you love me?"

Ciel tugged on Sebastian's arm. Sebastian looked down at her and she motioned for them to leave. He nodded and then they both walked away from the scene. Hannah seeing Ciel and Sebastian left as well.

"Yes Master, I love you" Claude admitted and then braced himself to look at Alois's face.

Alois's lips broke out into a smile. Claude blinked in confusion and Alois tackled him in a hug.

"Finally, a person who loves me. Claude, promise me you won't leave me"

Claude overcame his shock and then wrapped his arms around Alois.

"I promise, master"

Then Claude's hands began to shake. Alois stared up at Claude as his expression screwed up in pain.

"Claude? What's happening? Claude!"


	21. Chapter 21

Ciel's head shot up as she heard Claude's screams. She motioned to Sebastian who ran off to investigate. Then she looked down at the letter on her desk. The seal was Her Majesty's and she dreaded to open it. She opened it anyway and then began reading. Her brow furrowed and she sighed.

Sebastian laid Claude down on his bed and then covered him with a blanket.

"What's wrong with him?" Alois asked.

"He is in transition to being a demon again. It would seem it was you who gave him a shock" Sebastian replied.

"How could I have given him a shock? I didn't even see him yesterday night" Alois said.

"According to Ciel, he heard you and Hannah being...well, you understand. And since he has loved you for this long, it was quite a heart breaking he went through" Sebastian explained.

"Claude..." Alois stared at his unconscious butler and then sat down at his bedside.

"Is he okay?" Ciel asked coming into the room, followed by Hannah.

"He'll be fine as soon as he wakes up. What did the letter say?" Sebastian asked.

"It seems there are British officials who are dying through allergic reasons. We need to investigate" Ciel replied.

"British officials? Like who?" Alois asked.

"Ministers, priests, low ranking government officials and the most recent two Dukes and their wives" Ciel replied reading from the letter.

"I shall investigate immediately" Sebastian said and left the room.

"Alois, let's go have lunch" Ciel said taking Alois's hand but he refused to budge.

"I won't leave him alone"

"I'll tell the triplets to send your lunch here then" Ciel left and then walked up to the dining room to finish her lunch.

She ordered the triplets to send food for Alois and then went to watch a movie with Luke. Luke had selected Green Lantern and even though Ciel had never even read the comic or even watched the cartoon, she found it entertaining. Leaving Luke to play video games she went to check on Sebastian.

She found him in the study, clicking away at a laptop. An idea entered her mind and she backed away a few steps. Then she ran to attack Sebastian. Sebastian turned in an instant and caught her bridal style. He smirked and she pouted in disappointment.

"You can never sneak up on a demon. Especially not one as old as I am" Sebastian said.

"I tried. Don't I get a reward for that?" Ciel asked flashing her blue eyes at the demon.

Sebastian smirked and then lowered his lips onto hers. Ciel kissed back and then threaded her fingers through his hair. A throat clearing made them pull away and turned to glare at the intruder. The triplets shrugged and then pointed up to the ceiling.

"What is it?" Ciel asked as Sebastian lowered her down onto the floor.

"They are saying Claude is awake" Sebastian replied and the triplets nodded.

Ciel and Sebastian went to Claude's room where Alois had cuddled right into Claude's arms.

"Well isn't this precious?" Ciel said sarcastically and Alois stuck his tongue out at her.

"We have a mission from the Queen. Come on let's go" Ciel said and Alois sighed.

They both got up and followed Ciel back to the study.

"So all these officials died a week after staying in Canada?" Alois asked reading the report Sebastian had made.

"So there's something in Canada" Ciel said.

"All of them died with allergic reactions which brought out large swellings on their faces and they died" Claude said.

"So which hotel did they stay at?" Ciel asked.

"The Hilton in Toronto" Sebastian replied.

"All of them? Too much of a coincidence" Alois said.

"We're going to Toronto" Ciel announced.

They set off right the next day. Luke kept bouncing up and down when he realised that they were taking a trip. Ciel was tense throughout the plane ride. When asked by Sebastian she explained that she could feel someone watching them. Alois had laughed at that and then he reclined back against the seat.

"Thank god you booked a private aircraft, Sebastian" Alois said.

"I still feel someone was watching us" Ciel said.

"Ciel, relax. No one can watch us here except the pilot and the air hostess" Alois said.

"Can we go to Marine Land? I want to see dolphins" Luke said and Alois grinned.

"I love fish" He said.

"Fine we'll go. But let us finish our work first, Luke and then we'll take you" Ciel said.

"Yes! Thanks Ciel" Luke said and then went back to watch the inflight movie.

They touched down in Toronto and were immediately taken to the Hilton. They were checked in and taken to their rooms.

"This is the bounciest bed I've ever seen" Alois said and he began to bounce on it.

"Me too!" Luke jumped up and Ciel winced as his head nearly hit the ceiling.

"No bouncing on beds" Claude said grabbing Alois and Luke by their shirts and lowering them onto the bed.

"No fair" Luke said pouting and Ciel sighed.

"Room service" Someone from outside called out. Sebastian went to fetch it.

"I'm going to take a shower. Be back in half an hour" Ciel said.

She was about to leave the bedroom when Sebastian brought in the room service cart.

"I didn't order room service" Ciel said.

"I did, I was hungry" Alois said from the bedroom.

"Just a moment" Sebastian opened the large 2 liter bottle of Coke and then poured it into the nearest pot plant.

"What are you doing?" Alois asked.

"Wait" Claude said and then Sebastian sniffed the empty bottle of Coke.

Ciel gaped at the plant and it slowly withered and died.

"Was there poison in that?" She asked and Sebastian nodded.

"I was going to drink that. And I was going to give it to Luke too" Alois said and grabbed his brother into his arms.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked.

"What about the food?" Ciel asked.

"The food doesn't have anything. It's the drinks" Sebastian said and Ciel breathed a sigh of relief.

"But this bottle was sealed shut until you opened it. How could anyone put poison in it?" Alois asked.

"There was poison in there?" Luke asked and Ciel nodded.

"Claude, stay here with them. I'm going down to the kitchens" Sebastian said and he left.

"You should dispose of that in case someone suspects something" Alois said.

Ciel took the large plate of pizza and then offered it to Luke and Alois. They both shook their heads. After the shock with the poison they had lost their appetites. Claude removed the plant from the pot and then went to dispose of it.

"So this poison is in the drinks served to guests" Alois said and Luke stared up at his brother in fear.

"We shouldn't let on that we know about this. We should act like things are normal" Ciel said.

"How about this? We should go to Marine Land after noon. Spend the entire day there and let whoever it is try and poison the drinks in the fridge. Then we'll be able to find out who it is" Alois said.

"That's a good idea" Ciel uncovered her eye patch and then summoned Sebastian back upstairs.

"Let's get ready to leave" Alois said.

Ciel opened up her suitcase and then pulled out fresh clothes. She took a quick shower and then got dressed. She dressed in denim shorts and a red tee shirt. She pulled on her converse and ran a brush through her hair. She returned into the main room and found Alois and Luke dressed in matching shorts and tee shirts. The butlers had also changed into casual clothing.

When they reached Marine Land all of them forgot their problems as they watched the fish swim in the tanks.


	22. Chapter 22

Ciel entered the hotel suite and then collapsed on her bed. The day out had exhausted her. Luke had already fallen asleep even before they finished dinner. Alois was busy listening to his iPod as he sat down on his bed.

"Do you wish to shower before bed?" Sebastian asked.

"No I just want to cuddle with you" Ciel replied.

"In that case, we shall make ourselves scarce" Claude took Alois's hand and dragged him out of the room.

"I'm going to change" Ciel said and then grabbed a set of PJs.

Sebastian nodded and she disappeared into the bathroom. The sound of Ciel falling onto the floor made Sebastian run to the bathroom door.

"Ciel, is everything alright? Open the door" Sebastian said.

The door opened and Sebastian stared at Ciel who only had her PJ shorts and bra on. Her eyes were wide with fright as she stared at the mirror. Sebastian turned to the mirror and his eyes narrowed. There was a message written with something red.

"It's not blood" Sebastian said and then wiped a bit of the substance with his fingertip.

"Then what is it?" Ciel asked pulling on her PJ top.

"Its red lipstick" Sebastian replied and then read the message.

**I'm coming for you!**

"Well that's rather blunt" Ciel commented and Sebastian chuckled.

"We're all in danger. We need to regroup now" Sebastian said and then popped out of the room to bring Claude and Alois.

"I'm coming for you? What kind of idiot is this?" Alois asked after reading the message.

"There is something wrong here. Something seriously wrong" Ciel said pacing.

She glanced over at the still sleeping Luke and then bit her lip.

"Luke can't stay here. It was a mistake to bring him here" She said and Alois looked over at his brother.

"Maybe we should send him back" Claude suggested.

"How long will it take for Hannah and the triplets to get here?" Ciel asked.

"A few hours with a plane and then maybe a few minutes to get here" Claude replied.

"Call her to get here as soon as possible and take Luke. I'm not leaving" Alois said.

"Neither am I" Ciel said.

Claude nodded and then pulled out his phone. In the meantime Ciel and Alois discussed the case.

"If someone's telling us to leave the country there must be something brewing" Ciel said.

"This is red lipstick, obviously a woman" Alois pointed out.

"Or a cross dresser" Sebastian suggested.

"But why only British officials?" Ciel asked.

"All the British officials who died were men. The women are safe" Sebastian said.

"So this person is a woman who is against British men. But why?" Alois asked.

"Or a cross dresser who is against men" Ciel said.

"Hannah will be arriving by dawn to take Luke back" Claude announced and Alois breathed a sigh of relief.

"We should go to sleep. Just act like everything is normal" Ciel said.

They went to bed but Alois found it difficult to sleep. His worry for his brother and Ciel kept him up. Claude held Alois in his arms but the blond still couldn't sleep.

"I'm going out for a walk" Alois said throwing Claude's arms off.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Claude asked and Alois shook his head.

"I'll be fine. If there's any problem, I'll summon you"

Alois walked out of the room and began wandering around, thoughts racing in his head.

'What if something happens to Luke? Or even Ciel? I know Claude and Sebastian are here but if we aren't careful then we could be in real danger'.

Alois was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear quiet footsteps approaching him. Then a hand clamped over his mouth and he lost consciousness. The clock in the lobby chimed four times.

The door to Ciel and Sebastian's room burst open at six am. Ciel woke up with a start and Sebastian grabbed a glass and threw it at the intruder. Claude, who was panting caught the glass expertly and placed it back on a nearby table.

"Alois is missing" Claude said and Ciel shot out of bed.

"Wasn't he with you?" Ciel asked.

"He told me he was going out for a walk. I told him to summon me if something happened. It's been two hours" Claude replied.

"You should have followed him!" Ciel shrieked and then rushed to change her clothes.

"Is Hannah here yet?" Sebastian asked.

"I'm taking Luke back" Hannah said appearing in the doorway.

"No! I'm not going anywhere!" Luke shouted before he was dragged away by Hannah.

"Let's go find him!" Ciel said walking out dressed in jeans and a long sleeved sweater.

They rushed to the hotel lobby and Sebastian headed straight to the receptionist. Ciel paced in the lobby and Claude sat down to watch the news on the TV.

"Lady Ciel, look at that" Claude said.

_An unknown man has kidnapped the Earl Trancy of England and has brought live footage on YouTube and the views are going up through the roof. _

Ciel sat down and then turned up the volume as the news report shifted to the YouTube video. A man dressed all in black with a mask covering his face was staring at the camera. Behind him, Alois was tied up to a chair with a gag covering his face.

_"Every five thousand views, I'll run an electroshock right into the Earl's body. This is a message to Countess Ciel Phantomhive. You know what your family has done to mine. I killed all those British officials to catch your attention and lure you here. You have until twelve noon or else Trancy dies"._

"Look at the views" Ciel said and the views reached 10000.

The man pushed a button and Alois screamed as the shock ran through his body.

"Alois!" Ciel screamed and Claude shut off the TV.

The rest of the guests in the lobby stared at Ciel as she stared at the blank TV screen.

"It's the Countess" she heard one person whisper to his friend.

"Come along" Sebastian wrapped an arm around Ciel and led her back upstairs.

Once upstairs, Claude pulled out a live coverage of the kidnapping. The views were shooting up as more and more people tuned in to watch this.

"It's a message to me. I don't even know who this is!" Ciel said.

Then the man spoke up from the computer.

_"I'm sure you're confused right now, Countess. Let me clear up some of the confusion. Do you recognize the name Raj Kapoor?" _

Ciel's brow furrowed in confusion and Sebastian ran a search.

"Raj Kapoor is a 37 year old who used to work for Phantom's Canadian factories. He was fired because he took bribes from other companies and the jury ruled him as guilty. He was sent to prison for ten years and he committed suicide in prison" Sebastian reported.

"When did this happen?" Ciel asked.

"When your father was head of the company" Sebastian replied.

"Who was the bribe taken from?" Claude asked.

"From the two Dukes who died. The bribe was witnessed by the priests who died and the low ranking governing officials were the ones who were on the jury" Sebastian replied.

"So he's taking revenge on all of the ones involved. And now he's after me. But who could this person be? It can't be Raj himself since he died" Ciel said.

"Maybe his children? What happened to his wife and kids?" Claude asked.

"The wife died two years after Raj and his eldest child is currently working in this very hotel but he was fired since people were complaining that he was hostile to them" Sebastian replied.

"This looks like a jail cell. But which one?" Ciel asked staring at the live coverage.

Then the views reached 15000 and Sebastian quickly muted the sound so they would hear Alois's scream of pain as the shocks assaulted him.

_"Countess, if you're as smart as they give you credit for, you would understand who I am and why I'm doing this. As soon as the views hit 30000 you can say goodbye to your friend"._

"I know where he is!" a voice exclaimed and they all turned to the doorway where Luke was standing.

"You were supposed on a flight to UK right now" Ciel said.

"Where is he?" Claude asked.

"What's the name of the jail that Raj was put in?" Luke asked.

"But that jail is abandoned. All prisoners have been shifted elsewhere" Ciel said and then it hit her.

"The jail is abandoned so that's the perfect place to stage this crime" Luke said.

"Let's go" Sebastian said.

Ciel gave Luke a quick hug and then ran out with the demons. The jail smelled of piss and water. It was abandoned and silent. Ciel's converse squeaked as she stepped on water. Then Sebastian carried her bridal style so she wouldn't attract any more attention.

"Why didn't Alois's screams echo? Someone would have heard it outside" Ciel asked quietly.

"This jail has special rooms that are noise proof. Alois must be in one of them" Claude replied.

"So where could Alois be?" Ciel asked.

"According to the flow of electricity, most likely near the west wing" Sebastian replied.

They walked for a little while and then heard the sound of someone speaking.

"I'm sure Countess will be on her way here right now. She doesn't realise that the puddles around the door of the room have been electrocuted so she will have instant death the minute she steps in one"

"That's the voice of the kidnapper" Ciel said and Sebastian shushed her.

Ciel looked down and saw the puddles around her. Sebastian quickly tiptoed his way around then and Claude carefully pushed the door open. It was no use since the door creaked and caught the attention of the man.

"Countess, finally" The man lunged towards Ciel and Sebastian jumped into the air and then landed on a nearby table.

Claude headed towards Alois who had fainted from the electroshocks. Then he turned to the laptop and webcam that had been set up and closed the live feed of the video.

"Who are you?" Ciel asked and the man tore off the mask he was wearing.

"I am Arjun Kapoor. The son of the man who was wrongly accused to taking bribes. Because of your father none of my family members were happy. We were shunned by everyone and my father committed suicide"

Claude aimed a kick at the back of Arjun's head and Arjun fell to the floor in a dead faint.

"The police are on their way, we should go" Sebastian said.

Claude picked Alois up and they all left the abandoned jail.


	23. Chapter 23

Alois awoke in a hospital. His entire body ached as a result of having tremendous electroshocks. He glanced over to the left where Ciel and Luke were asleep on the couch.

"Master?"

Alois glanced to the left and gave Claude a shaky smile. Claude sat down and took Alois's hand. With his other hand he stroked Alois's blond hair.

"Did you miss me?" Alois asked quietly.

"Please do not scare me like that again" Claude replied and then bent over to drop a kiss on Alois's forehead.

"I'm hungry" Alois said and Claude stood to get some food.

He brought soup and began feeding Alois in spoonful. Sebastian entered the room and then saw that Alois was awake. He shook Ciel awake and Ciel immediately rushed to her friend's bedside. Alois glanced over at his brother and grinned when he was told that Luke was the one who figured out where his older brother was taken to.

"Really? Awesome" Alois ruffled his brother's air and Luke grinned.

"So when can I get out of here?" Alois asked.

"As soon as you stop complaining about all the pain in your body. It's a miracle the shocks didn't stop your heart" Ciel replied.

A few days later they returned home. Even though doctors had recommended Alois to stay at home he had refused and they had taken the next flight home. The minute Alois stepped into his room; he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep. Luke disappeared into his room and Ciel went to her study.

She sat down behind her desk and opened up a leather bound diary. She found the page for the day's date and began writing down about her mission and Alois's kidnapping.

"Writing a diary?" Sebastian asked and Ciel looked up.

He entered the room holding a tray of tea and cookies. There was also a large piece of cake for Ciel's sweet tooth.

"I like writing down about my missions from the Queen. I only started today" Ciel replied.

"Your ancestor Ciel had a diary of his own. He was rather intelligent and I believe he knew someone like you would come along in his family line" Sebastian said.

"Does the diary still exist to this day? Or did it perish in the house fire that killed my parents?" Ciel asked.

"I believe it is somewhere around here" Sebastian walked around tapping the walls.

He reached the end of the bookcase and then smiled. Ciel stood up and walked over to stand next to him. He sent her a secretive smile and then tapped on a hollow panel on the bookcase. Ciel heard a silent click and the bookcase opened like a door. Her eyes widened as she stared into the grim darkness.

"Are you coming?" Sebastian asked holding a torch.

"Yes" Ciel walked inside and then saw stairs leading down below.

Her shoes echoed off the stone walls and she couldn't help but shiver at the sight of the cobwebs. They eventually reached a door where she saw a modern finger print attached to the lock. She turned in question to Sebastian.

"When the mansion was renovated, I removed the lock and key and replaced it with a more modern and secure locks" He replied and Ciel pressed her thumb to the pad.

The door unlocked and Ciel pushed open the door. She took a step inside and lights automatically flared up as soon as her feet touched the floor. She looked around with wide eyes. She noticed a large portrait of Earl Ciel Phantomhive seated on a regal throne sneering down at her. Then there was a bookcase filled with leather bound books, a writing desk and a chair.

"What is this place?" She asked Sebastian who was lighting the fire in the grate.

"This is the place where Master would seek refuge from the outside world. It was only I and Lady Elizabeth who knew about this place. After completing a mission from the Queen he would come down here and write in these journals. This was also the place where I devoured his soul" Sebastian replied.

"All these journals are his? Did you ever read them?" Ciel asked.

"No. I already knew him inside and out. Why would I need to read his private writings?"

Ciel walked over and picked out a journal that read 1888.

"That was the most intriguing year in my Master's life. He was thirteen and discovered his aunt was a killer, his Asian friend betrayed him and I nearly lost his soul to another demon" Sebastian explained.

"To Claude right? You lost the soul to Claude but you got it back"

"And I returned the soul to its body. We had a fierce enmity between the Earl Trancy and the Earl Phantomhive. Then Trancy died because Ciel struck him with a sword. After that life was relatively peaceful. And then time came for him to defeat his parent's true killer. With that mission done, I took his soul and at his request protected Lady Elizabeth until the baby arrived" Sebastian explained.

"The furniture has been changed right?" Ciel asked and Sebastian shook his head.

"Because of the low temperature in this room and the stone walls, the furniture has been preserved quite nicely. It can be used for the next three hundred years"

Ciel sat down on the chair and then opened up the journal. She began reading out loud.

_Today Mr. Damian from the Poseidon company in India came for dinner. The old fool did not realize that I had already found proof of his embezzlement and how he had sold the Indian toys company to my competitor. I played a game against him. He lost by losing his leg and burning in hot flames._

_Too bad Sebastian only let him stay for half an hour in the oven. I would have preferred to keep him there until he burned to a crisp. However, more pressing matters needed to be tended to, like how to retrieve my company and get it up and running again. _

_Written by Ciel Phantomhive. 1888._

"He was even more sadistic than I am" Ciel commented closing the diary.

"He was one of a kind. I absolutely enjoyed devouring his soul" Sebastian admitted.

"It must have been tasty" Ciel said with a grin and Sebastian licked his lips.

"The very best I have ever had".

Ciel wrapped her arms around Sebastian and then kissed him. Sebastian kissed back with intense lust and then slammed her back against the bookshelf. He slammed her hard enough for Ciel to utter a gasp of pain and for some books to tumble off the shelves. They paused and Ciel walked over to pick up the books.

"1899? The year before he died" Ciel said and Sebastian nodded.

Ciel flipped open the diary and an envelope fell out. She picked it up and then read the cover.

"To my lookalike grandchild" Ciel read and then turned to Sebastian in surprise.

"I suppose he did know about you" Sebastian said.

Ciel quickly opened up the envelope and a letter was produced. Ciel began reading.

_If my lookalike grandchild is reading this then Sebastian has already found you. You must be wondering why and how I knew about it. It was a guess and a hypothesis on my part as well and your modern science can explain in better than I can. When I was the Phantomhive family head I had a special mausoleum made where I am sure your parents are buried. I would like for you maintain that mausoleum. _

_It is very special to me since my parents are also buried there. This is my request for you. I hope that you have enough honor to accept my request and maintain the mausoleum. _

_Earl Ciel Phantomhive. _

"The mausoleum? That's what he wants me to keep?" Ciel asked.

"He had quite an attachment to the mausoleum. He used to spend many afternoons there. Ciel Phantomhive himself is buried in that mausoleum between his parents" Sebastian replied.

Ciel stood in front of the portrait and then held the letter against her chest.

"I promise I'll maintain the mausoleum as long as I live" She vowed and bowed her head

Sebastian looked up at the portrait and swore he saw the sneer on Ciel's face soften into a smile.


	24. Chapter 24

"As long as you love me, we could be starving, we could be hungry, we could be broke" Alois sang as he walked into the dining room.

"Who in the world sang that song?" Ciel asked.

"Justin Bieber" Luke replied and Ciel stared at him in surprise.

"It's a great song, especially Big Sean's part" Alois said seating himself.

"You can listen to Justin Bieber as much as you want, I'll listen to LMFAO. At least that's real music" Ciel said buttering her toast.

"I'd like to listen to music that I can play" Alois shot back.

"Sexy and I Know It is a great song by LMFAO" Luke commented.

"You're only 12. Who says you can listen to LMFAO? Do you watch their videos too?" Ciel asked and Luke nodded.

"Girl look at that body, girl look at that body, girl look at that body, uh uh, I work out" Alois sang pointing at Claude and the demons exchanged looks.

"I'm sexy and I know it" Luke finished up and all of them began to laugh.

A few hours later, Alois gathered everyone in the kitchens.

"It's Ciel's birthday next week so we have to do something for her" Alois said.

"We should get her presents" Luke said.

"And decorate the house for a party" Claude said.

"But we need to get Ciel out of the manor for that" Alois said.

"I could take her for a date in the morning and by midafternoon I could bring her back for the party. It won't take that long to set up for a party" Sebastian said.

"Perfect. Claude, Hannah and the triplets will decorate. Luke and I will get gifts. Sebastian, you need to get a gift too" Alois said.

"Understood" Claude said and Sebastian nodded.

Ciel, meanwhile was reading her ancestor's diary. She was fascinated by the amount of missions he had done and the success he had got by being the Queen's Guard Dog. His love for Elizabeth was muted but Ciel knew that her ancestor loved his wife very much. He just kept her far away to save her from the pain of his death after Sebastian took his soul.

Ciel closed the diary having finished reading about her ancestor's wedding to Elizabeth. She tucked the book back on the shelf and then checked her watch. It was still ten and she was feeling bored.

"What I wouldn't do for a letter from the Queen right now" Ciel mused and heard the doorbell ring.

She hurried up the stairs and then closed the bookcase. She sat down at her desk and began reading a few documents Claude had left out for her. Someone knocked on the door and Sebastian stepped inside. Behind him was a man dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt dragging Damon in by his leash.

"Mistress, this man lives right next to our land. He has brought Damon because he destroyed the flower garden" Sebastian said.

"Damon, come here" Ciel said and Damon ran over to her.

"He destroyed my flower garden, miss. Please keep him leashed" the man said.

"I am truly sorry, sir. How much do I need to pay for the damages?" Ciel asked.

"The extent of the damage is yet to be judged" Sebastian said.

"Sebastian check the damages and then come and tell me the correct amount I need to pay. Who should I write the cheque out to?" Ciel opened a drawer and produced her chequebook.

"To John Everett White" The man replied.

Ciel nodded and wrote the details. She signed the cheque and handed the cheque to Sebastian who placed it in his pocket.

"Again I'm sorry, Mr. White" Ciel said and Sebastian led the man out.

"Who was that?" Luke asked poking his head into the room.

"Our neighbor John White. Damon ruined his garden" Ciel replied and Damon ran over to Luke.

"Can I play with him?" Luke asked Ciel.

"Sure but tell the triplets to go with you. I don't want Damon to run off or you getting lost in the grounds" Ciel said and Luke took Damon out.

Ciel sighed and began reading over the documents. She stopped at one point and her eyes widened when she saw the statistics Claude had produced. Ciel pressed the bell for the study and then called Claude to come up. Claude arrived and then sat down opposite Ciel.

"How come the statistics for the Phantom hotels are falling? We should be head to head with the Hilton. What is going on?" Ciel asked.

"The accountants failed to record a loss earlier on and the profits for the year were affected because of this" Claude replied.

"Isn't it a rule that losses should be recorded as soon as they are realized? Because of this problem we have fallen in the market. Our share prices have also lowered which is an even bigger problem" Ciel said.

"I have already started investigating this problem" Claude said.

"Fire whomever you want to fire as long as you eradicate this problem. How are the Trancy hotels doing?"

"They are doing well but I suspect whoever made this mistake in the Phantom hotels will do the same in Trancy" Claude replied.

"I know you do your job well. This time I expect no mistakes from you, Claude" Ciel said.

"Yes my lady" Claude stood and collected the documents.

Ciel leaned against the leather seat and then closed her eyes. She fell asleep soon enough and woke up in her bedroom. It was dark outside and the lights were dimmed in her room. She sat up and realized she had fallen asleep in her jeans and shirt.

"Mistress, it seems you were rather tired" Sebastian commented from the walk in closet.

"What time is it, Sebastian?" Ciel asked sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Nearly time for dinner. I didn't have the heart to wake you so I simply brought you to your room where you wouldn't be disturbed" Sebastian replied.

"I'll take a shower then" Ciel said getting out of bed.

"Wouldn't it be better if I run a bath? That would be much more relaxing" Sebastian suggested.

"Sure" Ciel said.

She stripped off as Sebastian ran the bath. She submerged herself inside and then sighed.

"I should have baths more often" She said and Sebastian nodded.

She leaned against the rim of the tub and then felt Sebastian's cold hands in her hair. He rubbed against her scalp and she realized her familiar lemon scented shampoo.

"Sebastian, should I grow my hair?" Ciel asked running her hand in the warm water.

"You would look lovely if you did" Sebastian replied and Ciel smiled up at him.

"Keep your eyes shut. It wouldn't do us any good if you got soap in your eye" Sebastian said and Ciel closed her eyes.

Sebastian hummed under his breath as he rubbed the shampoo into a fine lather and then rinsed her hair off. Then he grabbed the bottle of conditioner and Ciel hissed at how cold it was. They were silent and Sebastian finished rinsing Ciel's hair.

"Can you switch on the stereo in my room? And turn on the overhead speakers in here" Ciel asked.

"Which song?" Sebastian asked washing his hands.

"Don't Speak by No Doubt" Ciel replied.

Sebastian walked out of the bathroom and Ciel began running her fingers through her short hair. She closed her eyes and imagined her long and lustrous hair before her parents had died. She had been cheerful and innocent but then the harsh reality had opened her eyes and brought out her cynical view on the world.

Sebastian returned just as the song began and Ciel smiled at the lyrics.

"You seem to find the most depressing songs entertaining" Sebastian commented.

Ciel rose out of the tub and Sebastian wrapped a towel around her. He took another towel and began drying her hair. Sebastian continued his ministrations and Ciel began singing along to the song. He led her out of the bathroom and then Ciel put on her undergarments.

"I'll call Hannah to dress you" Sebastian said but Ciel shook her head.

"Be my butler for the night, Sebastian" Ciel said and Sebastian sighed.

"My my, you're getting demanding" He commented and Ciel chuckled.

He walked over to the closet and selected a set of PJs. It consisted of a cut sleeve top and cute shorts. Sebastian made Ciel wear the shorts and then tied them securely. An idea struck him and he pressed a kiss against her stomach. Ciel stiffened and then lowered her hands to thread them into Sebastian's hair.

Sebastian continued his innocent pecks as he stood up and then kissed Ciel fiercely. The song in the stereo changed to Give Your Heart A Break by Demi Lovato. Ciel hummed in appreciated as Sebastian ran his tongue over her teeth. A bell rang in Ciel's room and Sebastian pulled away from her.

"Dinner time" he announced.

"We'll continue this later" Ciel promised and then headed to the dining room.


	25. Chapter 25

"Will you go on a date with me?" Sebastian asked helping Ciel wear a purple jacket.

"A date? Sure. When?" Ciel replied running a hand through her hair.

"Today. Right now" Sebastian said.

"Is that why you're dressing me up? I have to admit, I like the color purple" Ciel said.

"I'll just get ready then. Meet me in the parlor" Sebastian said and Ciel nodded.

She pulled on her purple boots and then studied herself in the mirror. Sebastian had dressed her in black tights and a black tee shirt. He had added the purple jacket to put some elegance to her outfit. She smiled and then headed out to the parlor.

"Wow, where are you going?" Alois asked.

He had woken up late and was still eating breakfast in the dining room.

"I have a date with Sebastian" Ciel replied.

"Have fun" Alois said with his mouth full.

Ciel stood in the parlor and then saw a picnic basket near the door. She picked it up and then walked out the door. Sebastian was waiting outside dressed in jeans and a long sleeved black shirt. He opened the car door for Ciel and Ciel seated herself inside. They drove off all the way out deeper into the countryside. Ciel was excited to see the sheep and cows grazing.

They stopped at the end of the road and Sebastian got out. Ciel followed him off the trail and then deeper into the forest. They walked out to a sunny clearing that was hidden behind bushes.

"This is beautiful" Ciel commented and Sebastian spread the picnic blanket.

Ciel took off her jacket and then sat down. It was quite time for lunch so Ciel placed her head on Sebastian's lap and began reading a book. Sebastian leaned against a tree and then began playing with Ciel's short hair.

Back at the mansion, preparations for the surprise party were ongoing. Claude had decided to put the decorations in the dining room and the main hall only. Luke was helping Hannah bake a cake in the kitchens while the triplets were busy cleaning. That left Alois to wrapping the presents.

He had bought Ciel a new iPod because he knew hers was full because of her vast music collection and she needed one with more space. Luke had said his gift was a surprise and he had hidden it in his room. Claude had acquired tickets to a classical music concert that he said were from all the servants.

"Claude...help" Alois murmured and Claude turned his attention to the blond.

"What happened?" Claude asked.

"The tape wasn't strong to hold the wrapping paper so I used glue. Then my fingers got stuck together" Alois replied.

"How childish" Claude commented.

He brought a bowl of cold water and then a paintbrush. He held Alois's hands in his and began washing off the glue with the paintbrush. Alois giggled and Claude paused.

"It tickles" Alois said and Claude sighed.

He continued and then finally became frustrated with Alois's giggle. He leaned forward and pecked Alois's lips, making the blond silent for a minute. When Alois's hands became unstuck, Alois wrapped his arms around Claude's neck and kissed him. Claude kissed him back and then a throat clearing made them pull away from each other.

Luke stood there with a large grin on his face.

"This isn't what it looks like" Alois said pushing Claude away as if the demon was poison.

"If Ciel can date Sebastian, why can't you date Claude?" Luke asked and Alois was struck dumb for a moment.

Claude chuckled at Alois's shocked expression and then stood up. He ruffled Luke's hair and then walked out of the room.

"Stop taking pictures of me!" Ciel said and tried to grab the camera away from Sebastian.

"Not a chance" Sebastian held the camera high up in the air so Ciel couldn't take it.

"Then let me take pictures of you!"

"Fine" Sebastian handed Ciel the phone and she aimed the camera at him.

She took a couple of pictures before her stomach growled.

"Lunchtime" Sebastian pulled out the food he had packed.

Ciel's mouth watered at the sight of rolls, salad, sandwiches and pasta. Most of all she drooled at the sight of the strawberry tartar and tiramisu for dessert.

"Since it's a special day you can start with dessert" Sebastian said.

Ciel wasted no time in devouring the tartar and the tiramisu. She licked her lips when she had finished and then began eating a sandwich. A guitar melody made her look up and then saw Sebastian was playing the guitar.

"Where did the guitar come from?" Ciel asked.

"You were so into the cake that I just ran to the car and brought it" Sebastian replied strumming the guitar to a nameless tune.

Ciel continued eating and listening to the music. After she was done, Sebastian handed the guitar to her. She took it and began playing.

"What do you like better? Guitar or piano?" Sebastian asked.

"Neither, I enjoy the flute more than anything but I hardly ever get the chance to play it" Ciel replied.

"I've never seen a flute around the house" Sebastian pointed out.

"It annoys Alois when I play the flute. I would love to play it though" Ciel said.

"Finally done!" Alois announced.

"And it only took you three hours" Claude said.

"Shut up" Alois assembled the gifts on the table and then Hannah brought out the cake.

"They should be back in an hour or so. What should we do until then?" Alois asked.

"I'm going to play video games with the triplets" Luke replied and then took Thompson's hand to lead him upstairs.

"I'll be in the kitchens" Hannah replied.

Alois nodded and then decided to head upstairs. He headed all the way up until he climbed onto the rooftop. There was a breeze up here that cooled him off. He leaned against the edge of the rooftop and then smiled. It was utterly peaceful up here. Then he spotted Sebastian's car down the road.

"They're coming back!"

Alois ran down the stairs and then rang the bells for Luke's room and the kitchens. Claude was by his side in a second.

"That was the most amazing date I've ever had" Ciel was saying as she opened the door.

Party poppers threw confetti all over her, making her her jump back right into Sebastian's chest.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Alois and Luke screamed and Ciel laughed.

They dragged her into the dining room where the cake candles were being lit by Hannah.

"Happy birthday, Lady Ciel" Hannah said with a curtsy.

"Thank you" Ciel said and then blew her candles out.

She unwrapped the presents, thanking everyone for them. When she saw the tickets for the concert she immediately hugged Claude, Hannah and each of the triplets.

"Where's your gift, Luke?" Alois asked.

"In my room" The triplets brought out the wrapped gift which Ciel immediately opened.

Her mouth dropped open when she saw the portrait of herself and Sebastian.

"Did you paint this?" She asked.

"Yeah, Claude's been teaching me how to paint for years" Luke replied.

"He has a lot of talent" Claude said and Ciel hugged Luke.

"Thank you sweetie" she kissed the top of Luke's head making him blush.

The party went on until dinner time and Ciel retired to her room with Sebastian.

"I have a gift for you as well" Sebastian said.

"What is it?" She asked curiously.

Sebastian spun her around and then held his closed fist in front of her eyes. He opened and something silver hung in front of Ciel. She reached up and took the pendant in her hand. It was a beautiful silver Christian cross.

"Isn't this a bit ironic? I don't believe in God. If I did, you wouldn't be here" Ciel asked.

"I bought it for the irony" Sebastian made Ciel wear the necklace and she clutched at the cross.

"Thank you" Ciel turned around and Sebastian kissed her.

"Happy birthday, Ciel"

**I just realized there's more than a hundred reviews for this story. Thank you everyone for showing your support! *Bows and blows kisses***


	26. Chapter 26

"Damon is missing" Sebastian announced a few days later at breakfast. Ciel's fork fell from her hands.

"What do you mean he's missing?" She asked, her hands shaking.

"He was wandering the grounds last week but he wasn't here this morning" Sebastian replied.

"How could he have escaped? There's no way out except through the front gates" Alois asked.

"Search for him. Now" Ciel ordered.

"The triplets are on it. Until then, this arrived this morning" Sebastian said.

Ciel took the letter and opened it up. Alois read it over her shoulder and Ciel placed it back on the table.

"What does it say?" Luke asked watching his brother and Ciel apprehensively.

"The Queen wishes for us to investigate the attempted murder of William Ackerman" Ciel said.

"Attempted murder?" Sebastian asked.

"Let's go and check it out" Ciel said standing up.

"My lady, your breakfast?" Claude asked and Ciel shook her head.

"I'll eat when I see Damon return" Ciel replied and then went to her room.

They visited the home of William Ackerman. William was an assistant manager working at an architectural firm and he lived with his wife, brother and sister in law. Ciel introduced herself and Alois and then asked what had happened.

"I woke up this morning and I told William to wake up. He wasn't waking up and by the time I brought up a cup of coffee for him, he still wasn't awake. So I tore off the bed covers and then saw these deep slashes on his arm and blood was flowing profusely. I screamed for my brother in law who tried to wake William. Then William woke up, thank god" His wife explained.

"So all this took place your bedroom? Can you show us?" Ciel asked.

William stood up and then led them to the bedroom. Ciel examined the room and then turned to William.

"There's no way in here except the door and the window. The window was locked from the inside. The door was unlocked right?" Alois asked.

"And your room is right opposite William and Martha's right?" Ciel asked.

William and his brother George nodded.

"If this was an attempted murder then the killer will be back soon. Tonight, we'll catch him. William, you need to sleep in this room. Claude will keep guard outside the room and Sebastian will keep guard outside" Alois said.

"What if something happens? I can't lose William" Martha said.

"Nothing will happen madam. I am one hell of a butler" Sebastian reassured her.

"Sebastian will catch the killer, don't worry" Ciel said.

That night Claude stood right outside William and Martha's bedroom door. Martha had opted to sleep in the guest room while George and his wife slept in their own room. Sebastian kept patrol outside and then tapped his ear piece to keep contact with Claude.

"Anything yet?" Sebastian asked.

"No. Martha hasn't fallen asleep yet. I just checked on William two minutes ago and he was fine" Claude replied.

"Mr. Claude?" Martha asked and Claude focused his golden gaze on her.

"Yes madam?"

"May I please see my husband?" Martha asked.

"I'm sorry madam but I cannot let you do that. He is perfectly safe" Claude replied.

"Please. It'll calm my nervousness" Martha pleaded.

"Let her go" Sebastian said and Claude opened the door.

Martha stepped inside and then screamed. Claude turned and his eyes widened as the familiar scent of death accosted his senses. As soon as Sebastian heard the scream he ran into the house.

"He's dead? That's impossible" Claude said checking William's pulse.

"How could anyone have slipped past me?" Sebastian asked.

"I knew we shouldn't have called you here! At least William would have been alive" Martha screamed out of grief.

"Maybe there's a secret door in this room" Claude suggested.

He and Sebastian began tapping the walls for any hollow panels. Claude pulled open the closet door and then noticed an open safe.

"Madam, was this safe always empty?" Claude asked.

"The safe?" Martha rushed over and then gasped with horror.

"All of my expensive jewelry and important documents were in here. They've been stolen" Martha replied.

The next day, Ciel entered the dining room without even looking at Sebastian. Usually she would hug him or even kiss him but this time she just sat down and let Hannah serve breakfast. The same thing happened with Alois who ignored Claude and ate breakfast in silence. Finally Luke broke the silence.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Ciel sighed and then glared at Sebastian. Alois did the same to Claude. Both demons winced at the cold shoulder their lovers were giving them.

"Mistress..." Sebastian spoke up and then blanched when a sort of fire erupted in Ciel's eye.

"How could you have failed? How?" she asked in a cold voice.

"Not only one but two demons couldn't find the killer?" Alois asked his blue eyes like ice.

"We apologise" Claude said bowing his head.

"Apologies aren't going to make the Queen happy. How will I explain that the murder was done under our supervision?" Ciel asked.

The triplets entered the room and then handed a file to Ciel. Ciel nodded to them and then opened the file. She examined the documents and then nodded.

"William's personal and business accounts were emptied a couple of days before the murder" Ciel reported.

Alois's cellphone rang and he grabbed it out of his pocket. His eyes widened when he heard what had happened.

"Another murder. Harrison Peterson. Same methods, same time. Their safe was robbed as well" Alois said.

"Undertaker must have the bodies by now so we can use the fingerprints to see who did it" Ciel stood and then left her uneaten breakfast on the table.

They got to the Undertaker's where he was busy examining the body of Peterson.

"Do you have any idea who did it?" Alois asked.

"Oh I know who did it. Harrison killed Harrison and William killed William" Undertaker replied.

"What?" Alois asked thoroughly confused.

"They killed themselves? How could they? Actually, why would they kill themselves? And how come these two didn't hear a sound?" Ciel asked.

"They could have had a sound proof room" Alois suggested.

"Demons can hear even in sound proof rooms" Claude replied.

"Maybe someone hypnotized them" Ciel said.

"If they did hypnotize them then how come none of these two heard a trigger?" Alois asked.

"Maybe there was a trigger but not a sound" Ciel replied.

"Then we should ask Martha and Peterson's neighbors" Sebastian said.

At William's home, Martha denied hearing any sound on the night of the attempted murder. Peterson's neighbor, Amanda even said she hadn't heard anything.

"Okay what did you guys hear at night then?" Ciel asked.

"I usually hear music from next door and a door slamming or a car driving through the street. Yesterday I heard a dog barking too" Amanda replied.

Sebastian stiffened as he remembered what he had heard when he patrolled.

"I heard a dog barking as well" He said.

"I did as well" Martha said.

"There's our trigger. The dog barked and brought out the hypnotic trance" Ciel said.

"How many times did the dog bark?" Alois asked.

"Three times" Sebastian replied and the two women nodded in agreement.

Outside, Ciel began researching on dog training facilities.

"Ciel, we should search for any paw prints or even hair of the dog" Alois said.

"Sebastian will do it. After all, he hates dogs" Ciel replied.

Sebastian searched and then found a few paw prints.

"I found it" he announced and then began brushing the sand away from the paw print. He spotted a white strand of fur and grabbed it before it could fly away.

"This is a Labrador hair" Ciel said.

"How did you know?" Alois asked.

"Because Damon has hair like this. And the same paw print..." Ciel's voice trailed off as she realized what she was saying.

"The person committing the murders is the one who's taken Damon" Alois realized.


	27. Chapter 27

"Did you ever train Demon in barking or any other tricks?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes, when I lived with my parents. I haven't done any tricks with him since I moved here" Ciel replied.

"Damon is smarter than he looks. I'm sure he hasn't forgotten what you taught him" Alois said.

"My dog is being used to kill people" Ciel said.

"It will be fine, Ciel, we'll find Damon" Alois said.

"Wait! Damon has a tracking chip in his collar" Ciel cried out.

"I've already tracked him" Sebastian said holding out an iPad.

"He's in Lewisham. Let's go" Ciel stood and rushed out of the manor.

By the time they got to Lewisham, Damon's tracking had changed. It seemed that he was on the move.

"Whoever has him is going to commit another murder" Alois said.

They finally found Damon being dragged along the sidewalk by John White, their neighbor.

"Damon, heel!" Ciel shouted and Damon ripped himself from the man's grasp and ran towards Ciel.

John saw that he was caught and then began running. Sebastian and Claude gave chase while Ciel and Alois followed them at a leisurely pace with Damon. They found Sebastian interrogating John.

"Where were you going with the mutt?" Sebastian asked.

"Just down the street. He already barked anyway so the guy must be dead by now" John replied.

"Damon, show me" Ciel said and Damon ran off. Ciel ran after him followed by Sebastian and Alois.

Sebastian pushed the doors of the house open and they could hear someone crying.

"Jonathan please stop! Please!"

Ciel rushed up the stairs and then saw a man seated on a bed, his arms slashed, strangling himself.

"Pull his hands off!" she ordered and Sebastian ran over to the man.

"We need to find something to snap him out of it!" Alois said.

"Damon bark!" Ciel ordered. Damon barked three times and the man fell into a deep sleep on the bed.

Sebastian let go of the man's arms and then came to stand next to Ciel.

"Thank you so much" The woman who had been begging the man said.

"I've brought our culprit" Claude announced as he entered the room, dragging an unconscious John with him.

"He only did the triggering. Someone else must have done the hypnosis" Ciel said.

"First stop the bank transfer of his funds" Alois said gesturing to the sleeping man.

John White awoke in a dark room. The only source of light came from a flickering bulb.

"Looks like our culprit is awake" John recognized Ciel's voice.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"I don't think you're in the position to ask questions, White" Alois spoke up.

"Do you know how unhappy Her Majesty is because of you? You'll probably get a death sentence" Ciel asked.

"It wasn't just me! I just did the dog thing. The hypnosis was done by George Ackerman. He promised me a quarter of the money if I would steal your dog and do everything. We were going to pin the blame on you, Countess" John said.

"William's brother George? Oh god, people do anything for money right?" Ciel asked.

George was brought in soon enough and he confessed to his crimes.

"I really needed the money so I decided to hypnotize William and Peterson. The first dog I used didn't follow my orders. Then I found your dog and bribed John. I was successful so I decided to kill Martin as well" George said.

"Send them to New Scotland Yard with the recordings of their confessions" Ciel said, already bored.

"How long do we have until school starts up?" Alois asked.

"About two weeks" Sebastian replied and Alois groaned.

He stood up and then started making his way to his study. The recent events had just made him remember his ancestor's memories again.

"Is something bothering you?" Claude asked entering the study.

"Sometimes, having your ancestor's memories really makes you feel sick" Alois replied.

"What memory did you remember?" Claude asked.

"I just remembered when Alois Trancy murdered his wife in her sleep after she bore him twins" Alois replied paling.

"I remember that day quite clearly. I believe the twins were a girl and a boy. I think he was angered by the fact that they had more of her features than his" Claude said.

"It's disgusting. He just grabbed the sword and slashed her to bits. How could anyone have done that? And to his very own wife?"

"He never really loved her. He just married her because she pretended to love him. Mostly he tried to make me jealous by having her around. It never really affected me until I looked into the blue eyes of his younger offspring" Claude replied.

"The memories make me sick. He was cruel and unjust"

"In his point of view, the world had been cruel to him. It warped his way of thinking. The world had been cruel to Ciel Phantomhive as well but in a different way" Claude explained.

Alois walked over to Claude and then wrapped his arms around the demon's waist. Claude's arms instinctively rose to wrap themselves around Alois.

"You've been growing, your head reaches my shoulder now" Claude commented and Alois chuckled.

"I am turning eighteen soon Claude" Alois replied reached up and began twirling a lock of Claude's hair around his fingers.

Ciel giggled as Sebastian ghosted his fingers over her sides. She rolled over to get away but he followed her like a cat on the prowl for a mouse.

"If I knew you were ticklish I would have used the information earlier" Sebastian commented.

"You're just so utterly perfect, it's annoying" Ciel complained hitting her fists halfheartedly against his chest.

"That's why you love me" Sebastian said before swooping down to press a chaste kiss against her lips.

"Hey, Sebastian, don't you think I should learn how to fight?" Ciel asked.

"Fight? What for?" He asked surprise.

"Maybe sometimes if you're not around, I need to defend myself" Ciel replied.

"I made a promise that I'll never leave you and I will never leave you" Sebastian said.

Ciel saw the determined look in his eye and then nodded. Sebastian chuckled and then leaned down to kiss away the pout on her lips.

"I know you don't enjoy being taken care of and are independent but love, you have to admit you do enjoy being taken care of" Sebastian said.

"It's just...after being alone without my parents kind of makes your grow up faster. I didn't have anyone to depend on except for myself. My aunt and I were never that close so I didn't really need anyone around. It's strange for me to depend so much on another person" Ciel explained.

"I'll always protect you Ciel" Sebastian wrapped his arms around her and then sat up to lean her against his chest.

"I wish that this night would never end. I need to know. Could I hold you for a lifetime? Could I look into your eyes? Could I have this night to share this night together? Could I hold you close beside me? Could I hold you for a long time? Could I, could I, could I have this kiss forever?" Ciel sang softly.

"Forever and always" Sebastian said and then held Ciel close to him.

Back in Alois's room, Alois was busy dancing along to the song Ciel had been singing. Claude watched him and Alois clicked the heels of his shoes against the wooden floor.

"Join me, Claude?" Alois asked holding his hand out.

Claude took Alois's hand and then was twirled into Alois's arms. They danced together to the Spanish beat and then Claude mysteriously pulled out a red rose to place between his teeth. Alois smiled at that and then Claude dipped him.

"Claude, I love you" Alois said with a blush and Claude pulled the rose out of his mouth.

He placed the rose on the bed and then kissed Alois with all the passion he could muster. Alois threaded his fingers through Claude's indigo black hair and breathed in sharply as Claude nipped delicately down his neck to his shoulders.

"I love you too"


	28. Chapter 28

"Back to school again" Alois said yawning.

"Good morning everyone" Ciel said walking into the dining room.

Alois yawned again and Ciel slapped him at the back of his head.

"What was that for?" Alois asked annoyed.

"For playing video games with Luke until three in the morning" Ciel replied.

Sebastian seated her and then stepped back to let her enjoy her breakfast.

"I'm not like you, going to bed at nine" Alois said.

"I don't know about you big bro, but I'm wide awake" Luke said and he giggled when a bit of nutella got on his nose.

"I'll see you all at school then" Sebastian said.

Ciel beckoned him down and then kissed him. Sebastian kissed back and then grabbed Ciel's wrist before her buttery hands could touch his hair.

"Not at the table!" Luke complained and Sebastian pulled away.

Sebastian left the mansion and they all finished up their breakfast. They got into the car with Claude driving. First Luke was dropped off at middle school and then Ciel and Alois were dropped off at the high school.

"What do we have first?" Ciel asked glancing over at Alois's new schedule.

"We have Music, Dance, World History, Geometry and Lunch together" Alois replied as he compared schedules.

"I'm alone in Spanish, Korean, Latin and French" Ciel said.

"No wait, we have French together" Alois said.

"We have too many classes this year" Ciel complained as she folded her blazer and shoved it into her locker.

"At least we don't have Gym" Alois said and Ciel nodded. They headed to homeroom.

"Class we have a new student. His name is Arran Parker and he has just recently transferred from America" Ms. Yvonne said.

"Hi, I'm Arran. Pleased to meet you" He was a brunette but he had a glow to him and a sunny personality.

"You can have the seat behind Ciel. Ciel, raise your hand" Ms. Yvonne said.

Ciel raised her hand and Arran smiled at her as he passed to take his seat. Ciel rolled her eye and continued fidgeting with her iPod to pass the time.

"Hey, I'm Arran" Arran spoke up from behind her.

"Ciel" Ciel replied quietly and Alois stifled a chuckle.

"How old are you?" Arran asked.

"Seventeen" Ciel replied shortly.

The bell rang and they headed to their first class which was Geometry. To Ciel, Math had been easy and Trig been the same. Geometry was going to be a piece of cake. Then Arran entered the room. He handed a paper to the teacher and then the teacher directed him to a seat right behind Ciel.

"Seems like you have a stalker" Alois teased.

"He's more of an annoyance than anything else" Ciel replied rolling her eye.

After Geometry, Ciel headed off to Latin. Since Latin was so ancient and boring, many students opted out of it but Ciel particularly enjoyed it. Latin had a sort of mystery that came with its words. Today's assignment was fairly simple. Write a paragraph about someone you care about. It would have been easy if it hadn't been for Arran Parker who kept annoying Ciel.

"What does blood mean in Latin?"

"Sanguine" Ciel replied.

"And arm?"

"Brachium" Ciel replied.

"And-" "Sir, I'm done. May I please be excused?" Ciel cut him off.

"Of course. I'm sure your Latin has been impeccable as always" Mr. Ace said and Ciel shot out of the classroom like a bat out of hell.

She sighed in relief and then turned around. She saw Arran looking around in the hallways and then walked away quietly. She entered the girl's room and locked herself in a stall. She breathed a sigh of relief and then her phone buzzed. She pulled it out and then smiled when she saw a text from Sebastian.

_Want to spend lunch with me?- Sebastian. _

_Yeah, where?- Ciel. _

The reply came back fast.

_Bring Alois along. In the Dance class- Sebastian. _

Ciel nodded and then tucked her phone back into her pocket. She walked out of the stall and then washed her hands. She checked her hair and eye patch before peeking out to see if Arran was around. Thankfully he wasn't and Ciel was able to enter the Music room without any difficulties. There was no one in so she closed the door and sat down on the piano bench. Her phone buzzed with a text.

_C, where are you?- Alois. _

_In the Music room. Got out of Latin early-Ciel. _

The door opened and Ciel smiled when she saw Alois.

"Am I glad to see you! You won't believe the Latin class I had. That stupid Arran kept on bugging me. Can't he see that I can't stand him?" Ciel asked.

"Aww, I think it's cute. He has a little crush on you" Alois teased and Ciel groaned.

"So fucking annoying" Ciel said and Alois laughed.

"I hear swearing. Who pissed you off on the first day?" Sebastian asked opening the door to the music room and closing it behind him.

"The new kid, Arran. He has a crush on our little Ciel" Alois replied.

"I could kill him if you want" Sebastian said with a smirk.

"I'm really considering that option" Ciel replied.

She stood up and then walked over to Sebastian who wrapped his arms automatically around her.

"Not at school" Alois said.

Ciel flipped him the bird and then kissed Sebastian. Alois coughed and then they finally split apart when the bell rang.

"I should just go and prepare for the lesson" Sebastian pecked her lips and then disappeared into his office.

The door to the music opened and some more students walked in. With them was Arran Parker. Ciel groaned and Alois was sent to a fit of chuckles. Arran walked into Sebastian's office and then emerged with Sebastian.

"You can sit behind Amanda" The demon said with a close eyed smile.

"Thanks sir" Arran sat down and Sebastian began the lesson.

"Since the music did a good job during the school musical and their exams, the headmaster has decided for a few selected music students to participate in the upcoming inter school talent competition. The winning school will receive £10000 and the participant will be given £5000 cash prize"

"So how will you determine who should participate?" Lisa asked.

"I will divide all the students according to what instrument they play best. I believe there's categories for violin, piano, cello, flute and guitar as well as vocals. You all will compete against each other to determine one person for each category" Sebastian replied.

"So we'll be competing against seniors?" Alois asked.

"Yes and sophomores and freshmen" Sebastian replied. "So listen for your names. You all total up to fifteen in this classroom so you'll compete between yourselves and then whoever wins in each category will compete against the seniors and so on. You might even be chosen for two categories according to how good you are at playing the instrument"

"I'm betting you'll get piano" Alois said.

"Violin. Lisa, Amanda, Ray, Tamara and Rhiannon. Cello. Alois, Terrence and Ginny. Piano. Ciel, Arran, Kyle and Faith. Flute. Alan, Edward and Ciel. Guitar. Alois, Tamara, Ginny, Michael and Lisa. Male vocals. Arran. Female vocals. Ciel" Sebastian announced.

"So when does it competition thing start?" Ray asked.

"Tomorrow morning. Until then, you can use this time to practice. The music room will be open after school too but I think the seniors will take the room then" Sebastian replied.

"I'll go practice on the guitar" Alois said.

"I'll take the flute then. There are too many people around the piano" Ciel said.

She stood up and then headed over to where Edward and Alan were seated with flutes. Edward gave her a small smile but Alan ignored her. Ciel smiled at Edward and then sat down with her flute.

"You know, I've always noticed you but I've never even said two words to you since you moved here" Edward commented.

"I've always been a loner" Ciel replied.

Ciel began playing her flute by herself while Edward and Alan played a duet between the selves. When Ciel stopped for a break she noticed Alois had transferred to the cello. She stood up and put away her flute. She was heading to the violins when she saw that Arran was waving here over. She sighed and then headed over to him.

"Ciel, do you want a turn with the piano? I'm done" He asked.

"Sure, Arran, thanks" Ciel sat down and Arran dragged a stood over to sit on.

"Um, what are you doing?" Ciel asked.

"Watching you. I heard from Faith that you're really good at playing piano" Arran replied with an innocent grin.

Ciel nodded and then began playing by herself. It was disconcerting that Arran was watching her so closely but then she ignored him and continued practicing.

"Class dismissed!" Sebastian announced after a few minutes.

Arran was the first to run out of the class with a blush on his cheeks.


	29. Chapter 29

"Don't tell me he's in this class too" Ciel said as Arran entered the Dance class dressed in shorts and a vest.

"I guess he is" Alois said.

Ciel sat down on the floor and then began stretching. Alois stood up and lifted her legs up so she could stretch properly. Ciel sat up and then did a handstand. She spread her legs wide apart and Alois put his hands on either side of her waist to slowly lower her onto the floor.

"I can feel your little stalker's blush a mile away" Alois teased and Ciel sat up just as Sebastian entered the room.

"Welcome back to Dance. You all did rather well in your final. Actually better than I thought you would be"

A few chuckles and high fives broke out from the students.

"So partner up and we'll begin. Oh, Ciel you're with me again" Sebastian said.

"Why don't you choose another girl, sir?" Emily asked.

"Because Ciel is shorter than many of you and is quite easy to lift" Sebastian replied.

Ciel blushed and Alois nudged her. He went to partner with Emily and Ciel headed over to the front with Sebastian.

"Today we'll be starting the quickstep" Ciel shot a panicked look at Sebastian like the rest of the class.

"I know, it might be complicated but we have two weeks to complete it. Let's begin with basic movements"

By the time the class ended, Ciel had an aching waist to take care of. After the basic movements they had done a quick dance around the room. It required a lot of energy and many of the students were left exhausted by the routine. School ended quickly for everyone and Ciel decided to call Claude to pick them up. She was way too tired to walk.

"Hey, Ciel!"

"No, anyone but him" Ciel groaned and Alois chuckled.

"I was wondering if we could practice together for the music competition. You're way better in piano than I am" Arran said with a sunny smile.

"I don't know, Arran. The music room's taken by seniors after school" Ciel said.

"Then how about in the morning? No one will be in the music room before school starts" Arran suggested.

"Sure Arran. Tomorrow morning at seven. But only for half an hour" Ciel replied.

"Okay! Thanks Ciel!" Arran ran off and Ciel turned to Alois who had a teasing smile on his face.

"Shut up" Ciel snapped.

"I didn't say anything" Alois replied and Claude's car came driving up.

As soon as they reached the mansion, Ciel limped up the stairs to her room. Hannah was waiting for her with fresh clothes.

"Are you in pain, my lady?" Hannah asked.

"Yeah, Dance class was murder" Ciel replied.

"After your shower I can give you a massage if you wish" Hannah offered.

"That sounds heavenly. I'll be out in a few minutes" Ciel replied.

Ciel finished showering and then Hannah made her lie down on the double bed. Then Hannah began the massage and Ciel relaxed. There was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Ciel asked.

"Sebastian, my lady" Sebastian replied.

"Come in"

Sebastian opened the door and then closed it behind him. He bowed and Ciel glanced over at him.

"An invitation had been received from Kang, my lady" Sebastian said.

"Kang? The Chinese opium dealer? Hasn't the Queen discovered his dealings yet?" Ciel asked.

"Apparently not yet. He has invited you as well as Master Alois to a midday get-together at his mansion" Sebastian replied.

"I'll have to see whether we're busy but I don't think so. Check Alois's schedule with Claude. If he's fine with it then we'll go accompanied by you two" Ciel said.

"As you wish"

Sebastian left and Ciel relaxed. When Hannah finished, Ciel had already fallen asleep.

The next morning, Ciel and Alois went to school early. Alois disappeared elsewhere so Ciel went to the music room by herself. She could hear Arran practicing by himself. He looked up when she entered the room.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Arran asked.

"Who? Alois? He's not my boyfriend" Ciel replied.

"You guys are joined at the hip so I just thought..." Arran's voice trailed off.

"Everyone makes that mistake" Ciel replied.

She dragged a stool over and then sat down. Arran busied himself with arranging the sheet music so Ciel fiddled with her iPod.

"I was planning on playing one of Beethoven's numbers for the competition" Arran said.

"That will be too common wouldn't it? I'm sure there are lots of seniors using Beethoven. Why not use something different?" Ciel asked.

"Like what?"

Ciel flipped through the songs in her iPod and then found the song she had been planning to play. She clicked on 'Tu Muskura' from the Indian movie Yuvvraaj and the classical music began playing. She closed her eyes and then let the music take over her body. Arran also fell silent as he listened to the song. As the song ended Ciel opened her eyes and saw Arran sitting still.

"That was beautiful" he said.

"I'm planning to play that in the competition" Ciel said.

"It sounds complicated" Arran commented.

"It's not that difficult. It just needs to be arranged into a piano melody more than a violin melody" Ciel replied.

"You're really talented, Ciel" Arran commented and Ciel smiled.

"I'll see you later, Arran. Good luck" She stood up.

"Good luck to you too" He said and Ciel left the music room.

That morning, the competition began. Ciel wished Alois luck before he headed off to play his cello. The competition went on and finally the piano players were called in. Ciel sat down on the piano bench and closed her eyes. She began playing quietly and slowly built up the tempo of the song. Her hands also moved faster and faster until they were a blur. Everyone applauded went she completed her solo.

"Male and female vocals will be judged tomorrow since our time is up. Thank you everyone. It was spectacular" Sebastian said.

Ciel grabbed her bag and was about to walk over to Alois when Arran blocked her.

"You were amazing, Ciel!" Arran exclaimed.

"Thank you Arran. You were really good too" Ciel said, her grip tightening on her bag.

"I'm sure you'll get selected for the piano solo. You'll be competing in the vocals too?"

"Yeah. You've been selected for vocals too right?" Ciel asked.

"Yup. I haven't really been practicing that much but I hope I don't choke in the middle of the song" Arran replied.

"It's us against the seniors. The competition will be huge" Ciel commented.

"Ciel! Let's go!" Alois said from the doorway.

"Bye, Arran. Good luck for tomorrow!" Ciel ran off before Arran could say anything more.

That night, Sebastian entered Ciel's room. He undressed her and then dressed her in her nightclothes. Ciel could feel something was wrong.

"You didn't kiss me when I got home" Ciel said holding out her arms.

"You should sleep. You have a big day tomorrow" Sebastian replied.

"What's wrong?" Ciel asked folding her arms.

"Nothing's wrong, mistress" Sebastian replied.

"You only call me mistress when you're trying to push me away. Tell me what's bothering you"

"It's the brat who's hovering around you" Sebastian replied.

"Who? Arran? You can't possibly be worried about him. He wouldn't hurt a fly" Ciel said.

"He has feelings for you Ciel. As the person who has given you his nonexistent heart, I should be worried after all" Sebastian said.

"Well you shouldn't be worried at all. I love you and not Arran" Ciel replied.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. Sebastian sighed as Ciel's arms tightened around his slim waist.

"Don't worry about Arran" she repeated and Sebastian sighed again.


	30. Chapter 30

Ciel's mouth dropped open as she heard Arran sing. Sebastian also seemed to have frozen in shock even though nothing usually fazed the demon. Alois had slipped off his chair in shock. Ciel looked around at the rest if the seniors and read the shocked looks on their faces.

_And can you feel the love tonight_

_It is where we are_

_It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer_

_That we got this far_

_And can you feel the love tonight_

_How it's laid to rest_

_It's enough to make kings and vagabonds_

_Believe the very best_

Ciel smiled as she let the lyrics wash over her. The song had been one of her favorites since she was a kid. Alois settled back in his chair and Ciel cuddled into his side. Alois chuckled and then wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"The song reminds you of Sebastian, right?" Alois whispered.

"Just like the way it reminds you of Claude" Ciel whispered back.

Arran finished the song to tumultuous applause. He bowed low and then searched the audience for Ciel. His face fell when he saw her cuddled right into Alois's side with a happy smile on her face.

"Thank you, Arran. Next from the juniors we have Ciel Phantomhive" Sebastian said.

Ciel got up and then smoothed down her skirt. She had changed out of her school uniform and into a little black satin dress with heels. She stood up on the stage and took deep breaths.

"And cue music" Sebastian said. The music began and Ciel began to sing.

_Don't tell me not to live,_

_Just sit and putter,_

_Life's candy and the sun's_

_A ball of butter._

_Don't bring around a cloud_

_To rain on my parade!_

Sebastian leaned back in surprise as Ciel began walking around the stage.

_Don't tell me not to fly-_

_I've simply got to._

_If someone takes a spill,_

_It's me and not you._

_Who told you you're allowed_

_To rain on my parade!_

Ciel grinned and continued singing. Sebastian smiled as she sang as strongly as she could. The song was rather difficult to sing but Ciel seemed to sing it just fine. The only difficulty was belting out her voice at the end.

_At least I didn't fake it._

_Hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it._

_Get ready for me, love,_

_'cause I'm a commer,_

_I simply gotta march,_

_My heart's a drummer._

_Nobody, no, nobody_

_Is gonna rain on my parade!_

Sebastian stood up to applaud along with half the student body present in the theatre. Ciel bowed and then went off the stage. She changed and then went to sit with Alois to watch the seniors' belt it out onstage.

"That was amazing, especially the end" Alois said.

"My throat hurts a little" Ciel admitted and Alois handed her a bottle of water.

The competition went on and on until everyone was done.

"The results for each category will be posted tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who put in their very last efforts into this" Sebastian dismissed them.

Ciel and Alois walked out of the auditorium and then to the Dance classroom. They would have lunch there when Sebastian wasn't busy. They sat down on the wooden floor and then began eating.

"I didn't know students could have lunch here" Arran commented as he walked into the dance classroom.

"Mr. Michaelis lets us eat here as long as we don't leave a mess and clean up after ourselves" Ciel said taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Do you mind if I join you guys?" Arran asked.

"Hey Parker! Ms. Yvonne's asking for you!" a male student ran past the door of the dance classroom.

"I guess I'll join you guys tomorrow" Arran said.

He left the room and Ciel breathed a sigh of relief. Alois chuckled and Ciel stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ciel, you have to see this" Sebastian walked into the dance classroom and then held out an iPad.

Ciel took the iPad and began reading the article. Alois read over her shoulder.

"The Queen is coming for the music competition?" Ciel asked as she handed the iPad back.

"It's a rumor but it is true that the Queen enjoys classical music" Sebastian replied.

"Then if she is coming why haven't I been notified about this? We are supposed to be the Queen's Dog and Spider. We should know whether this rumor is true or not" Ciel asked.

"Maybe it is just a rumor. Anyway, we'll see if it's true or not at the competition" Alois said.

"I'll let you two get back to your lunches" Sebastian bowed and then left.

A week later the list was posted up. Alois grabbed Ciel's hand and dragged her all the way to the music room notice boy where lots of other students had gathered.

"Are we in?" Ciel asked and Alois leaned up to check the list.

"You're in vocals. Piano's taken by Helena but you're understudy. I didn't get anything but I'm the understudy for cello" Alois replied.

"What about Arran?" Ciel asked.

"He's understudy in male vocals" Alois replied.

He disentangled himself from the crowd and then they moved a little ways away to discuss the results.

"Arran was amazing. How come he didn't get the vocals?" Ciel asked.

"Because I told Mr. Michaelis I wasn't ready" Arran spoke up as he came up to them.

"You weren't ready? Mate, you sounded fantastic" Alois said.

"I nearly fumbled a lot of the notes when I was singing" Arran said.

"The Queen will be there, Arran. It would be an honor if she heard you sing" Ciel said.

"It doesn't matter. Good luck Ciel. Congrats to both of you" Arran walked away and Ciel watched him go.

"We have to meet in the auditorium for rehearsals after school until the competition" Alois said.

The day of the competition was nerve wracking. Since the cellos were up first, Alois had rushed to rehearsal. Ciel was rather nervous herself but kept a confident front. She could hear applause coming from the theatre and the morning passed quickly. Then three o'clock arrived. She took deep breaths to calm herself and then saw Darren, the male vocal head to the stage.

"Good luck" she said and he nodded.

He walked out to the stage and then took a deep breath as the applause died down.

He was about to sing when the theatre doors flew open. The MC of the day appeared on the stage.

"Our mother, Queen Elizabeth has decided to grace us with her presence!"

Ciel's eyes widened and she caught Alois's eye who was seated in the audience between Sebastian and Claude.

After the national anthem, the Queen was seated. Darren finished his solo and then it was Ciel's turn.

"Next for female vocals from St Rudolph Academy, Ciel Phantomhive" The MC said.

Applause rang out as Ciel walked onto the stage dressed it a beautiful blue floor length gown. She calmed herself and then curtsied to the Queen. The music began and Ciel began to sing. She had chosen Don't Rain On My Parade again and soon enough had the entire theatre on their feet. She grinned as she sang, truly feeling the moment.

She finished to a standing ovation and then left the stage.

"That was amazing, Ciel!" Arran exclaimed.

Ciel grinned and threw herself into Arran's arms.

"That was the best time I've ever had" Ciel hugged Arran tight and then pulled away from him.

Then she turned and spotted Sebastian with a frown on his face. Her eyes widened as she realized what he had just witnessed. Sebastian shook his head sadly and then turned around.

"Why is he so disappointed? You were great!" Arran said.

"I don't know but I'm going to find out" Ciel took off at a run.

She ran until she reached the outside of the theatre. Sebastian was nowhere to be seen.


	31. Chapter 31

"Where did she go?" Alois asked holding a bouquet of roses in his hands.

"I don't know. Sebastian had left for backstage after the song was over" Claude replied.

"They're about to announce the results. Can you hear where they are?" Alois asked and Claude nodded.

"I can hear someone running outside but I cannot find Sebastian anywhere" Claude replied.

Alois bit his lip and then looked up at Claude. "Go help Ciel. I'll be fine here".

"Master, I can't just leave you here" Claude protested.

"It's okay. You can go. If Ciel wins anything, I'll go up for her. Go!" Alois said.

Claude sighed and then began making his way out. He walked out the front door and then began listening for Ciel. He followed the sound of running footsteps and then heard Ciel calling out for Sebastian.

"Lady Ciel, you should be inside" Claude said and Ciel whirled around, her eyes wide.

"Claude, have you seen Sebastian?" Ciel asked.

"No, Alois ordered me to look for the both of you" Claude replied.

"I think I ruined everything Claude. Sebastian's never going to forgive me" Ciel said.

"Right now, you need to be in the theatre. If Sebastian truly loves you, he'll be back. You connection can't be erased that easily" Claude pointed at Ciel's eye patch.

"If he doesn't show up by the end of the ceremony, I'm summoning him" Ciel said.

"Now, let's go back" Claude held out his hand and Ciel took it.

They returned to the theatre where the winners of each category were being announced.

"Next we have the male vocals category. And the winner is... Terrence Morgan from St. Mary's Junior High!" the MC announced.

Ciel turned and flashed Darren who had a frown on his face as he clapped. The Queen held out the gift certificate to Terrence who bowed low to her and to the crowd.

"In the female vocals category we seem to have a tie. The winners are Maahi Tejani from York Academy and Ciel Phantomhive from St. Rudolph's Academy!"

Ciel grinned and she walked onto the stage. Maahi received her gift and then Ciel stepped forward.

"Congratulations, Countess Phantomhive" The Queen said and Ciel curtsied.

"Thank you very much" Ciel said and then she left the stage.

After the awards were given out, the overall winner who won in most of the categories was awarded the cash prize. Ciel clapped politely as St. Mary's took the cash prize. Their school had won in vocals, cello and piano which made them overall winners.

Then a strange noise began playing through the theatre. Ciel furrowed her eyebrows as the noise grew louder and louder. A scream echoed through the theatre and Alois turned to see a woman on her knees, holding her head in her hands and screaming her head off. The noise changed, its pitch growing higher and higher. Many people clamped their hands over their ears but couldn't stop the sound from penetrating their minds.

Ciel pressed her hands over her ears and then gasped out in pain as she felt hot red blood flow from her ears and between her fingers. Claude had his hands over Alois's who had curled in on himself on the floor. Finally Ciel couldn't take it anymore and ripped off her eye patch. Her eye opened and she screamed for Sebastian.

The pitch increased and Ciel screamed out in pain. Alois kept silent but let out a few whimpers every few seconds. Then there was a sound of a crash and then it was dead silence. Ciel's bloody hands fell against her sides as she collapsed onto the floor. Claude removed his hands from Alois's ears which were bleeding a little.

"Lady Ciel" Claude knelt down next to Ciel and began wiping the blood from her hands and dripping earlobes.

"Where's Sebastian?" Ciel asked and then a wave of dizziness overcame her.

She awoke at home, in her bedroom. She had been changed into comfy PJs and her head ached. Ciel touched her ears and discovered bandages had been wrapped over her pinna and earlobes.

"How do you feel?"

She looked up and smiled in relief when she found Sebastian hanging up the dress she had worn today in the walk in closet.

"I have a headache but that's it" Ciel replied sitting up.

"I have painkillers for the headache" Sebastian closed the door to the walk in closet and then offered Ciel the painkillers.

Ciel swallowed her with water and then set the glass down on the side table. She glanced up at Sebastian who was staring at her with worry.

"I'm sorry. I got carried away with the adrenaline of the moment and I made a mistake. I hope you can forgive me" Ciel said.

"If I had not forgiven you, why would I come and save you?" Sebastian said.

"You're contracted to me, that's why you're protecting me. I thought that's the reason why you came back" Ciel said.

"I was contracted to your ancestor, not to you. Claude and I stay with you two because we want to. We both love you two and that's the reason why we're here" Sebastian stated.

"Then why is this here?" Ciel asked tapping her eye.

"Mark of a demon's mate" Sebastian replied.

He lied down on the bed, on his side and propped his head up with his arm.

"Mate? As in partner for life?" Ciel asked.

Sebastian nodded and then reached out to stroke her hair. Ciel leaned into the touch and then lied down on her back. Sebastian cupped her cheek and leaned down to kiss her. The door burst open and Sebastian looked over at the door. Ciel groaned and then turned to glare at the intruder. Her glare melted into a smile when she saw Luke's embarrassed face.

"Sorry, I'll come back later" Luke said averting his eyes.

Before Ciel could call him back, Luke had already left. He walked down the stairs and then saw Alois reading the newspaper in the sitting room.

"I thought you were going to check up on Ciel. Is she awake?" Alois asked spotting his brother.

"Yeah she's awake and Sebastian's with her. They're being all PG-13" Luke replied and Alois chuckled.

"Let's go check. Maybe they're being R-rated too" Alois said and Luke blushed a bright red.

When they returned to the room Ciel was busy watching TV while Sebastian was combing her hair.

"Hey, Ciel. How are you feeling?" Alois asked flopping onto the bed and earning a glare from Sebastian.

"It doesn't hurt much. What happened after I passed out?" Ciel asked turning the TV off.

"We didn't find who did it. Sebastian had knocked him unconscious and then gone to take you to the hospital. Claude and I went to get the guy but he was already gone. He was making those noises by using a flute at a really high pitch" Alois replied.

"A high pitch flute? Modern flutes don't have that much power to subdue an entire theatre" Ciel noted.

"It was a rather long flute. I believe it was made from bamboo shoots" Sebastian said.

"A traditional flute. The only flutes made from bamboo can be found in Asia. Most specifically China, Japan and South Korea" Ciel said.

"The Queen was fine though. She was rushed out by her bodyguards who had some protective ear plugs in" Alois said.

"That's lucky but what's the point of playing the flute like that?" Ciel asked.

The door opened and Hannah came in pushing a serving cart. Ciel's mouth watered at the sight of the large black forest cake near the teapot.

"Luke, want some cake?" Ciel asked but Luke seemed to be in deep thought.

"What's up, bro?" Alois asked staring at his brother in concern.

"If the person was playing flute then maybe it was one of the participants in the competition" Luke replied.

"All of the participants had modern flutes. I didn't see any traditional flutes" Ciel pointed out.

"Maybe it was hidden?" Alois suggested.

"We need to conduct a thorough research" Ciel pointed out.

"First, which stores in London sell traditional flutes?" Luke asked.

"It will be easy to find one since only two exist. There is a chance for the flute to come from Asia but so far only two shops sell genuine ones" Sebastian replied.

"We'll have to head over there then" Ciel said.

"Only after you get better" Alois reminded and Ciel groaned.


	32. Chapter 32

"It seems that both shops shipment of traditional flutes have sold out" Sebastian reported.

"Can you speak a little louder, Sebastian? The bandages subdue my hearing" Ciel asked.

"Oh, of course" Sebastian replied, a little louder this time.

"So who bought all those flutes?" Alois asked.

"Only a few people would know how to get such a high pitch" Ciel replied.

"Did you see the person's face? Or hair? Skin color?" Alois asked.

"He was Asian. Japanese descent to be exact. He was dressed in traditional robes" Sebastian replied.

"Then we need to visit a Japanese temple. Or a costume shop" Alois said.

"There is a temple right in the countryside that we could visit. That's where all the flutes have been delivered" Sebastian said.

"We'll have to pay a visit" Ciel said.

They got to the temple which was actually a large Japanese style home with sliding doors and wooden walkways.

"This is a rather peaceful place" Alois commented as they entered.

"Where is everyone?" Ciel asked.

"I have informed the monk of our arrival but there's no one here" Sebastian replied looking around.

"Maybe they fled?" Claude asked.

"That would make them look guilty. No, there's something else" Ciel replied.

"Maybe we should have knocked on the front gate?" Luke suggested and Alois held him close.

"I didn't want to bring you here" Alois said.

"I know but I'll stay near Claude and Sebastian at all times" Luke said.

They walked a little more until Ciel stopped suddenly.

"Is something wrong?" Sebastian asked.

"I can't move" Ciel said.

She stood frozen and Alois grabbed her hand to drag her. Her feet wouldn't budge.

"Sebastian, help me" Ciel's eyes widened as Sebastian grabbed her around the waist but she couldn't move.

"Why can't you move?" Luke asked.

"I don't know. What's happening to me?" Ciel asked panicked.

Then Ciel felt her feet walk forward.

"Ciel? Where are you going?" Alois asked as Ciel moved forward.

"I don't know. I'm not moving myself" Ciel replied and then her feet began running.

"Ciel!" Sebastian grabbed her and planted his feet onto the floor to avoid her escape.

Ciel threw off Sebastian's arms enough to make him fall onto the floor and then broke out into a run.

"Ciel!"

Sebastian, Alois, Claude and Luke ran after her. Ciel was quite fast and then she ran right into a man dressed in white robes. The man lifted her up bridal style and then smirked.

"We have been waiting for your arrival, Countess" He said and Ciel stared wide eyed at him.

Sebastian stopped suddenly and they were immediately surrounded by guards dressed in traditional Japanese uniforms and holding long swords.

"What is going on?" Alois asked as he stared at all the swords.

"Put her down!" Sebastian roared as Ciel began struggling in the monk's arms.

"I knew you would come here, Countess, Earl. This is perfect message I can send to the Queen. For years she has been countering the demolishing of my temple which I do not enjoy. Your death can prove that I won't give up my temple" the monk said.

"I won't let you kill anyone" Claude said and the monk laughed.

"If you couldn't resist my attack on the theatre, how can you survive the death I'm going to give you?" he asked.

"Monk Deok Seong!" a loud voice shouted and it distracted the monk enough for Ciel to remove herself from his arms.

A man came forward dressed in black robes holding a shield and a sword. His hair covered the sides of his face but the front part of his face was visible.

"Arran, what are you doing here?" Ciel asked in shock.

"I have business with you, Deok Seong. Let her go" Arran said ignoring Ciel.

"Gakusei Choi, you should be getting ready to behead her. Go sharpen your sword" Deok Seong said.

"Choi? Who's Choi? That's Arran" Alois asked.

"You can't kill her. Not while I'm here" Arran ignored Alois.

Ciel stepped forward to go to Sebastian but an arm on her shoulder made her stop. She glanced over and a saw a young woman with a smirk on her face holding onto Ciel's shoulder. Ciel's eyes widened as she felt her body temperature rapidly increase.

"Xiao, hanase kudasai!" Arran shouted and the woman shook her head.

"What is she doing?" Alois asked.

"It seems that all these people here have some sort of special training that enables them to control a few elements. It requires years of discipline and control" Claude replied.

"So where's our flute player?" Luke asked.

Then a man dressed in blue and white robes jumped right in front of Arran. In his hands was a long bamboo flute.

"Move out of the way Eum Ja" Arran's hand clenched around the hilt of his sword.

Eum Ja didn't move so Arran jumped into the air to attack him. Eum Ja unsheathed his sword which was inside his flute. Ciel watched wide eyed at the fast paced fight that was going on. Then Deok Seong whistled which made Eum Ja pause. He sheathed his sword and then lifted the flute into his arms.

"Oh no" Ciel groaned. Her body temperature was rapidly increasing which made her feel incredibly light headed.

Eum Ja played his flute and the high pitch made Ciel clamp her hands over her ears. Claude and Sebastian quickly shielded Luke and Alois's ears. Ciel looked around at Deok Seong and Xiao who were standing there like they had no problem with the high pitch. Arran crumpled to his knees as he began bleeding from his mouth and ears.

Eum Ja kept on playing and then Ciel fell to the floor. Arran's eyes widened and he stood up. Alois and Luke gaped at the lightening flowing all over Arran's body. He attacked which made Eum Ja's flute fall to the floor. Eum Ja glared at Arran and then picked up his sheathed sword.

They began their fast paced fight again and Ciel pulled off the soaked bandages around her ears. She then ducked when Arran threw the shield at Deok Seong. Deok Seong held out his hand and the shield stopped in midair. It exploded to pieces and Arran finally succeeded in pushing Eum Ja away from him.

"Arrest the betrayer!" Deok Seong commanded.

"I will never be captured!" Arran declared.

"I'll burn her to ashes then" Xiao said still holding onto Ciel who clutched her head in dizziness.

Arran hesitated and then glanced at the soldiers surrounding all of them. He glanced over at Ciel and then nodded. He threw down his sword and immediately the guards surrounded him. He was pushed down to his knees and he glanced at up at Ciel who had a tear running down her cheek.

"I'm done watching this" Sebastian said and then leaped into the air.

He jumped over the guards and right in front of Deok Seong.

"Take her inside. Guards, grab the Earl!" Deok Seong shouted and Xiao wrapped an arm around Ciel to drag her inside.

Arran used this distraction and grabbed his sword. Still kneeling, he slashed at the knees of the guards around him and then used one guard's shoulder to jump over and land right next to Sebastian. Sebastian glanced over at him in surprise and then turned back to where Xiao was dragging Ciel away.

"You can take her. I'll take care of Deok Seong" Arran said.

Sebastian nodded and then ran after Xiao and Ciel. Ciel struggled against Xiao's strength and then finally threw Xiao away from her. Xiao ran towards her and then Sebastian stepped between them. Xiao wrapped a hand around Sebastian's throat and tried to strangle him. Sebastian chuckled and then Ciel was struck by an idea.

She looked around and then found a pot of drinking water. There were also some rags near it. She grabbed the rags and soaked them in water. Sebastian pushed Xiao away and she banged against the wall. Ciel ran forward and pressed the wet rags against Xiao's hands. Immediately steam began rising from her hands as the heat reduced.

Xiao grew enraged and ran forward to attack Ciel. Sebastian grabbed a sword that was hanging on the wall and flung it right through Xiao's chest. Her eyes widened and she fell to the floor. Ciel breathed a sigh of relief and then leaned against the wall. Sebastian immediately wrapped his arms around her and then began leading her outside.

They came out just in time to see Arran deliver the winning blow towards Deok Seong who fell to the floor dead. He panted and then sheathed his sword.

"That was amazing" Alois exclaimed.

Luke bent down and picked up the flute from Eum Ja's hands.

"Just what in the world is going on? How are you here?" Ciel asked leaning on Sebastian.

"We should get out of here first. I'll explain later" Arran replied.

**Translations:- **

**Gakusei- student**

**hanase kudasai- let go**


	33. Chapter 33

"I was born in England out of wedlock to Tina who was the concubine of Deok Seong. Deok Seong is an ancient shaolin monk who has lived for a very long time. He did not have an heir and so chose me along with his other two children Xiao and Eum Ja to train in the ancient arts" Arran began.

"So your real name is Choi? So where did this alter identity Arran come from?" Ciel asked.

"I do look English and both Xiao and Eum Ja would shun me. Deok Seong trained Xiao in the art of fire. She could bring fire out of nothing" Arran replied.

"So that's how she made my body temperature increase" Ciel realized.

"Eum Ja was trained in the art of the flute. He wasn't as good back when we were younger. Many times he couldn't control it and so his power would affect everybody. In the theatre he was supposed to affect only the Queen but he affected everyone else as well"

"What about you?" Alois asked.

"I was trained in lightening. I don't enjoy using my power much because it weakens me too much. I was regarded as the weakest among the three but Deok Seong finally found a use for me when the Queen wanted his land. Deok Seong sent me to your school to spy on you and Alois. He wanted to know your routine and habits because he knew that you two were important people to the Queen"

"And if he killed us he would send a clear message to the Queen. But if you were a spy for him, then why go against him at that moment?" Ciel asked.

"I never wanted anyone to die. I guess I am a weakling" Arran replied.

"You're not weak. You're the strongest person I've ever seen. You stood up to Deok Seong. That's brave" Luke said.

Arran's eyes widened and he smiled. Luke sat down on Arran's lap an gave him a hug. Arran smiled softly and then hugged the little boy.

"Arran, did you live there? At the temple?" Ciel asked.

"Yeah but I guess I can't anymore. I took my belongings with me after I killed Deok Seong and came to the mansion but I don't have anywhere to stay" Arran replied,

"You can stay here. You can share my room. We'll have lots of fun! I have video games and music and toys and books and paint and-" "Luke, let him relax a bit first" Ciel said and Luke smiled happily.

"What are video games?" Arran asked.

"You did not just ask that" Alois said.

"I'll show you!" Luke hopped up and dragged Arran up the stairs.

"Let Arran change out of his robes first!" Ciel shouted but they were already gone.

"And they're gone" Alois said with a laugh.

"You should go and change Ciel" Sebastian said.

Ciel glanced down at her blood soaked tee shirt and then nodded.

"I'm going to shower" Alois announced.

He grabbed Claude's hand and dragged him upstairs. Sebastian took Ciel's hand and then led her up the stairs. Ciel stripped off her dirty clothes and then stepped into the shower. Sebastian hummed lightly as he threw the dirty clothes away and selected a fresh pair of clothes for Ciel to wear.

There was a knock at the door and Sebastian called for whoever it was to come in.

"Um...where's Alois's room? I need to borrow some clothes. I don't have anything other than my school uniform and robes" Arran asked.

"His room is right across the hallway" Sebastian replied.

"Thanks"

The door of the bathroom opened and Ciel emerged, dressed in a towel with her hair dripping wet.

"You'll catch a cold. Hurry up and dry yourself" Sebastian said.

Ciel nodded and quickly dressed in warmer clothes. Sebastian sat her down and her began towel drying her hair.

"How long is my hair now?" Ciel asked.

"It's grown an inch. I'll have to trim it so it can grow properly" Sebastian replied.

Then a bell chimed through the manor signalling dinner time. Ciel waited until Sebastian finished combing her hair and then they made their way downstairs. Luke was already seated and he chattered away to Arran who was quietly gaping at all the silverware and interior.

"You look overwhelmed" Ciel commented as Sebastian seated her.

"As a monk in training, I mainly lived a simple lifestyle. All this is a bit extravagant" Arran replied.

He had changed out of his robes and was wearing a pair of Alois's blue jeans and a loose tee that Alois usually wore to bed.

"We'll have to go shopping for you tomorrow since you're taller and leaner than Alois. Your hands are all rough because of the sword. Remind me to get you a nice pair of gloves too" Ciel said.

"You don't seem surprised that your teacher lives here" Alois said.

"That's because I knew about him living here. Deok Seong has had spies after you for months" Arran said.

"And you two never sensed any spies?" Ciel asked glancing over at Sebastian and Claude.

"We did but we knew that the spies would show themselves soon enough" Claude replied.

"Well they did anyway. And destroyed my hearing in the process" Ciel said.

"I am truly sorry about that. I have some remedies that can help you" Arran said.

"As long as they don't make it worse, I'm in" Ciel said.

"Will you teach me how to fight? With that sword?" Luke asked excitedly.

"You're the perfect age for me to train, well if you guys are okay with it" Arran replied glancing over at Ciel.

"I'm okay with it but you'll have to ask Alois too" Ciel said.

Alois gave his consent and a few days later, Arran brought his weapons and training equipment from the temple. He began training Luke in meditation first and then in basic stances and movements. Many times, Ciel would sit with Damon and watch them train. Alois came as well but he didn't like seeing his brother being attacked and try to defend himself.

"You don't have to worry so much about Luke. He has his own protector now" Ciel said to Alois and then glanced out the window where Luke and Arran were seated with their eyes shut, meditating.

"He's growing up rather fast" Alois commented.

Luke collapsed against the ground and then began to snore. Arran glanced over at him and then inside through the glass doors were Ciel was seated with Alois. Both were busy discussing some documents. He watched Ciel as she pointed at something and then leaned back to take a sip of her tea as Alois examined what she had pointed out. Claude appeared out of nowhere but he didn't startle Arran.

"I believe he has grown tired. I shall take him inside"

Claude lifted Luke into his arms and then walked inside through the kitchen. Arran sat, poised and then closed his eyes. As he meditated, his thoughts wandered to Ciel. Her large blue eyes and boyish blue black hair. Her pale and beautiful face and graceful body. He, of course had noticed the warning stares that Sebastian had shot him when the butler had caught him staring at Ciel for a minute longer than necessary.

The butler's abilities had been seen during the fight with Deok Seong. The butler didn't look like he was trained but his gracefulness and form showed years of experience. That was another mystery to be solved. There was something going on between the butler and Ciel. And Arran was determined to find that out.


	34. Chapter 34

"Has anyone seen Ciel?" Alois asked as he entered the kitchens.

Arran looked up and shook his head. Claude shrugged and Hannah replied politely that she had not seen Ciel.

"Did you check her study?" Arran asked.

"Sebastian was cleaning and said she didn't want to be disturbed. When I asked where she was, he replied she was somewhere private" Alois replied.

"If Sebastian says she doesn't want to be disturbed, then you shouldn't disturb her" Claude said.

"But Claude, I'm bored" Alois complained.

"I don't have any training with Luke today. If you want, we could play some of the video games Luke has" Arran said.

"I've already won those games. Why don't we go out? Come on, Claude, let's go to the movies" Alois said.

"If my master so wishes" Claude replied and then wiped his gloved hands on a towel.

"Yes! I'll just wear my shoes" Alois raced out of the room and Arran stood up to go and change out of his robes.

Meanwhile, Ciel sat alone in the basement study. She was nearly finished writing her latest adventure in her journal. She took a sip of her tea and then leaned against the leather seat. As she stared at Ciel Phantomhive's portrait, her mind wandered to the three people they had met. Deok Seong had the mastered the art of controlling bodies, Xiao with fire and Eum Ja with the flute. It was frightening to think about their powers.

The door to the study opened and Sebastian entered with a tray of biscuits and other treats. He placed it on the desk and then proceeded to serve them.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked, his tone light.

"Just thinking about those three. Their powers were rather formidable" Ciel replied taking a bite of a biscuit.

"Alois was looking for you earlier. I told him you were not to be disturbed so he left with Arran and Claude to the movies" Sebastian said.

"What is Luke doing then?"

"Luke has an art project from school to finish up so Arran excused him from training" Sebastian replied.

When Alois and Arran returned, Ciel suggested they all go out for a sports activity.

"What should we play? I'm not playing soccer" Alois asked.

"Basketball?" Ciel suggested.

"How about tennis? That's fun" Arran suggested.

"I enjoy tennis. Let's go" Alois said.

Ciel dressed in shorts and a tee shirt, similar to the rest of them. Sebastian had opted out since he still had work to do but Claude drove them to the street tennis courts.

"Should we do singles? Or doubles?" Ciel asked holding her rented racket in his hands.

"I wanna be the ref" Luke said and then scrambled up to sit on the high chair.

"I'll sit this one out. You two can play" Arran said sitting on the nearby bench.

"Let's go then. Who serves first?" Alois asked.

"I'll serve first" Ciel replied.

They stood on opposite sides of the court and Ciel served. Alois volleyed the shot back and they began a rally. Finally Ciel lobbed the ball at the edge of the court and Alois missed it.

"15 Love" Luke announced and Ciel grinned.

She served again and then spotted a few boys passing the court. Because of the distraction, she failed to see the tennis ball pass her and hit the ground.

"15 all!"

The boys paused and then began watching the match. Ciel gritted her teeth and then served. This time she served it with enough strength so Alois would fail to even return the shot.

"30-15!" Luke shouted.

"That chick's damn good" One boy murmured.

"Hey, who are you calling a chick?" Arran asked standing up and turning to glare at the boys.

"What's wrong, did we insult your girlfriend?" Another boy asked and Ciel turned to the guys.

"Every woman should be treated with respect. I cannot allow you to call my friend something degrading" Arran replied.

"Arran, stop it. They're not worth it" Ciel said.

"You're the one not worth it, whore" The boy asked and Ciel's fist clenched.

"No one calls my best friend a whore!" Alois shouted.

"What about you darling? Why don't you ditch these two and come along with us?"

Ciel glared at them and then swung her racket. It hit the guy right on the face and he fell over onto the ground.

"You stupid bitch!" The guy's friend lunged for Ciel and Arran stepped in the midst by flipping the guy over his shoulder.

"We should go" Claude said helping Luke down from the tall chair.

"Let's go" Alois tugged on Ciel's arm and they all walked away from the tennis court.

"Who were those guys?" Ciel asked as they drove back to the manor.

"They are two college students. I've seen them before lurking around our school leering at girls. I don't like them at all" Arran replied.

"And you just stepped up like a royal knight in shining armor to protect Ciel. How sweet" Alois commented, making Arran blush.

"Thank you" Ciel said and then she turned to fiddle with the radio.

Arran blushed and then cleared his throat. He turned to stare out the window, occasionally taking glances at Ciel through the reflection of the glass. Claude and Alois exchanged glances through the review mirror and Claude gave a small nod to Alois.

Back at the manor, Ciel went to her bedroom. Alois went into his study and a few minutes later Claude appeared.

"This Arran makes me suspicious" Alois said.

"He seems to be rather suspicious of Sebastian. He must be trying to find out how Sebastian fought Xiao so well. I shall keep an eye on him for now" Claude said.

"Not to forget the crush he has on Ciel. Sebastian has been distancing himself from Ciel because of this"

"We need to deal with him as soon as possible" Claude concluded and Alois nodded seriously.

Claude suddenly chuckled and then hid his smile by putting his hand over the lower half of his face.

"Why are you laughing?" Alois asked.

"That intense look in your eyes brings shivers up my spine" Claude replied.

"I can do a lot more than shivers" Alois jumped up and grabbed Claude's collar.

He pulled him down and kissed him passionately. Their tongues battled for dominance until Claude won and then pressed Alois against the wall. Alois took in a deep breath as Claude's skilled tongue trailed down Alois's neck. Claude nipped at the point between Alois's neck and shoulder making Alois knees give out.

"We should continue this in my bedroom" Alois gasped out.

Claude paused and then nodded. Alois's bedroom was the only place where they could get some privacy.

Ciel sighed as she changed into comfortable shorts and a cut sleeve top. Sebastian had not been there to welcome her home and she missed him. Hannah had said he was out in the grounds mowing the lawns and working on the shrubbery. Ciel pulled on a pair of converse and then decided to go find Sebastian.

"If he's not coming to me, I'll be going to him" she said to herself as she walked out onto the grounds.

Immediately Damon bounded up to her, barking loudly.

"Hey Damon, have you seen Sebastian?" Ciel asked patting her dog.

Damon ran off and Ciel followed him. He led her to the very edge of the grounds where the rose bushes grew and Ciel spotted Sebastian clipping the roses and then trimming the shrubbery.

"Sebastian?"

Sebastian sat up, back ramrod straight and then turned to Ciel. He smiled but Ciel could see a hint of sadness in his crimson eyes.

"Did you need something, mistress?" Sebastian asked standing up and brushing the dirt from his pants.

"Why are you running away from me Sebastian? Did I do something wrong?" Ciel asked, stepping closer to him.

"It's not you, it's me. I'm being insecure for silly reasons" Sebastian replied.

"So tell me the reasons so we can work through it. As your mate, I should be supporting you through it" Ciel's hand reached out to grab Sebastian's and thread her fingers through his.

Sebastian remained silent.

"Is it because of Arran? Sebastian, I already told you not to worry about him. Why don't you trust me?" Ciel asked.

"I trusted you and you went to hug the human instead of the person who loves you" Sebastian replied.

"I already told you that I was sorry" Ciel said.

"Ciel, just leave. I need some time alone" Sebastian said and Ciel took a step back.

"Come back to me when you want to. I'll be waiting" Ciel turned around and began walking away.

Sebastian stared at Ciel's rapidly disappearing silhouette and then looked away.


	35. Chapter 35

"The distance is growing" Alois murmured quietly as he observed Sebastian who was serving Ciel.

Arran and Luke were outside for training but Ciel seemed to have a sorrowful look in her eyes. Sebastian's movements were robotic and stoic. Even the triplets standing by the door seemed to have a worried look in their eyes.

"Something is definitely wrong" Claude whispered as he bent to pour the soup in the bowl in front of Alois.

"They need someone to talk to. I'll take Sebastian, you take Ciel" Alois said and Claude gave a silent nod.

The door slid open and Luke came in dressed in his all black training robes. Arran followed after with a large smile on his face.

"I'm hungry!" Luke exclaimed.

Hannah chuckled and then began to serve him.

"How is Luke doing with his training?" Ciel asked Arran whose face seemed to light up.

"He's doing great. He has good instincts and he has the basics down. He just needs to learn how to apply them" Arran replied.

"I beat him today with this move I made up. I'll show you!" Luke kicked his leg up enthusiastically and rattled the plates on the table.

"How about you show us tomorrow during your training?" Ciel said ruffling Luke's hair.

"You're coming to watch tomorrow?" Arran asked looking happy at this arrangement.

"Sure, it will be interesting" Ciel replied.

She surreptitiously glanced at Sebastian at the corner of her eye and then smirked when she saw his eyes were narrowed on Arran's head. Alois wanted to bang his head against the table. This was silly.

After lunch, Alois made a beeline for the kitchens. Sebastian was busy cleaning and Alois sat down at the counter.

"Is there something you need?" Sebastian asked without looking at Alois.

"Yes, I need to know why you and Ciel aren't joined at the hip? You're usually like that" Alois replied.

"We are a couple and couples can have misunderstandings now and then. It doesn't mean you need to poke your nose into it, Trancy" Sebastian said.

"Is it because of Arran?" Alois smirked when Sebastian's shoulders stiffened. "Oh, did I touch a nerve?"

Sebastian whirled around and then sighed. He knew there was no point in fighting someone who was saying the truth.

"So you're feeling insecure about Ciel. You think she'll run away with Arran and leave you behind" Alois stated.

"Yes. I know this is ridiculous but I cannot help it"

"Sebastian, you need to trust Ciel. I trust Claude infinitely to remain faithful. I don't believe that he'll ever betray me. Ciel loves you and trusts you so you should do the same" Alois said.

"Maybe we should reveal our relationship to Arran" Sebastian said.

"That's the greatest idea you've had all day! Go and talk this out with Ciel" Alois said.

Sebastian chuckled at the blonde's enthusiasm and then left the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Claude walked into Ciel's study where she was busy reading documents.

"Claude, what's wrong? You never usually come in here" Ciel said putting down the documents.

"Lady Ciel, is there something wrong between you and Sebastian?" Claude asked.

Ciel's eyes immediately flooded with tears. Claude's eyes widened. He hadn't been expecting this. He was emotionally awkward and he didn't know how to deal with crying women.

"It just hurts that he doesn't trust me. I try and give him everything I've got but I don't have his trust" Ciel said wiping the tears away with her hand.

"Wouldn't it be better that you reveal your relationship with Arran so Sebastian wouldn't be that insecure about your relationship?" Claude asked.

"That is exactly what I was thinking" Sebastian said walking into the study.

"You were listening at the door?" Ciel asked.

Sebastian wrapped his arms around Ciel tightly. Claude took his leave and walked out.

"I'm sorry, I made you cry. I promised I would protect you but I hurt you" Sebastian said.

"Apology accepted. I'm sorry I hugged Arran. I made a mistake" Ciel said clutching onto Sebastian like a lifeline.

Sebastian used his hand to push Ciel's face up and then placed a kissed on her nose, making her giggle.

Arran paused for a moment when he saw Ciel's study door open. Usually if Ciel was working then she would shut the door. He looked into the room and then froze.

"I love you, Sebastian" Ciel said and then Sebastian kissed her.

Ciel's hands tightened on Sebastian's wool coat and Sebastian pressed her closer to him. Arran saw Sebastian's crimson eyes flash pink and then felt his eyes fill with tears. He began running away and Sebastian pulled away from Ciel to glance at the open door.

"What's wrong?" Ciel asked looking up at Sebastian.

"It appears we had an eavesdropper" Sebastian replied and Ciel's eyes widened.

"Was it Arran?" She asked and Sebastian nodded.

Ciel sighed and then laid her head against Sebastian's chest.

"It was better for everyone if he found out" Ciel commented and Sebastian nodded.

Arran ran all the way to the edge of the grounds. He sat down in his meditation pose but the images whirled through his head. His chest and stomach hurt as the tears flowed out of his eyes. He screamed as loud as he could and then collapsed against the grass. Everything went black.

"Alois! Alois!" Luke came running into Alois's study.

"What's wrong?" Alois asked and Luke panted.

"I can't find Arran. He was supposed to show up for training at five but it's already six. He's never late" Luke replied.

"Did you ask Hannah or the triplets?"

"I did, the triplets told me he was going to Ciel's study and they haven't seen him since then" Luke replied.

"What did Hannah say when you asked her?"

"She said he was running outside" Luke replied.

"Let's go look for him. We'll ask the triplets to help too" Alois took his brother's hand and led him outside.

"Thomas, Timber, Canterbury, let's go and look for Arran" Alois said.

They walked out and then began looking for Arran.

"Arran!" Luke shouted in the rapidly darkening grounds.

"Arran, mate if you can hear us, shout back!" Alois called out.

The lights outside switched on automatically and Alois blinked a couple of times to adjust his vision.

Arran's eyes opened and then he jolted up. The triplets stared at him with their eerie red eyes and he stood up.

"Did you guys find him?" Luke asked and he rushed to hug Arran.

"Mate you scared us. What were you doing out here?" Alois asked.

"I fell asleep" Arran said after Luke let go of him.

"Let's go in and eat dinner, then you can sleep if you're tired" Alois said and then turned to lead the way back to the manor.

They walked into the sitting room and found Ciel asleep next to the fire. Sebastian opene the linen cupboard and then brought out a warm blanket. He draped it over Ciel and she let out a small snore.

"You're not the only one who's tired, Arran" Alois commented as they left the sitting room and walked into the dining room where Hannah was setting the table. Arran frowned and then began attacking his steak with unnecessary force.

Ciel stirred as then smiled as she noticed Sebastian cleaning the bookshelves.

"It's time for dinner" Sebastian said quietly.

"I'm too comfortable" Ciel said.

She sat up and stretched. Sebastian bent to fold up the blanket and then pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Go and eat. I'll be waiting for you in your room" he said.

Ciel nodded and then walked into the dining room. Alois cleared his throat suggestively which made Ciel blush. Arran's fist clenching did not go unnoticed by Claude, whose eyes narrowed.


	36. Chapter 36

Ciel sighed as she leafed through different documents and then filed them. Since participating in the recital, she had been urged by Mr. Matthews to go for more school related activities. She had taken up being a delegate for the student council and her first duty was organizing the school student records.

"Wanna take a break?" Raymond asked.

He was a senior and he was hoping to get the student council president job this year.

"Sure, my hands hurt" Ciel replied and then leaned back against the chair.

"Hey Phantom, why don't you try out for vice president? It would look great on college applications" Raymond asked.

"I don't think so. It would be a great experience but I'm so busy managing the company and classes all the time that I don't think I'll be able to shoulder on something else" Ciel replied.

"You're great at responsibility though. You're taking on your duties with the Queen too. Just think about it okay? I haven't filled the vice president's spot in my campaign" Raymond stood up and then walked out of the student council room.

That night, Ciel sat alone in her private study in the basement. She was thinking about Raymond's offer. Usually Ciel was regarded as an outcast by the rest of the school but since Amber's death, many students had been reaching out to her and Ciel was happy to say that she had a few friends' here and there.

She flipped through her phone and then groaned. There was no way to get a signal down here so she walked up the stairs and pushed open the bookcase door. Her phone began to ring and then she saw it was a call from Arran. She hurriedly closed the bookshelf door just in time for Arran to open the study door.

"I just checked this room for you ten minutes ago" Arran said ending the call on his phone.

"I just came in here. Did you need something?" Ciel asked tucking her phone into her pocket.

"Yeah, you wanted to watch Luke and I train right?"

"Oh yeah. Lead the way" Ciel said.

He led her out to the gardens where Luke was meditating. He had a peaceful expression on his face that was way too mature for his age. Arran sat down next to Luke and then assumed his meditation pose. Ciel watched from the side and then noticed the oddly constricted look on Arran's face.

"Arran, I'm getting strange vibes from you" Luke commented in an oddly serious tone.

"I'm fine. I'm finding it difficult to concentrate" Arran replied.

Soon his expression smoothed out and Ciel let out a yawn. She had begun to feel oddly sleepy all of a sudden. Arran stood up and then caught Ciel just as she leant over to fall asleep. He gazed down at her peaceful face against his chest and then reached out to brush her long bangs away from her face.

Suddenly Sebastian had grabbed his hand and taken Ciel into his arms, bridal style.

"Nobody touches my mistress except I" The butler warned and Arran's eyes narrowed.

A breeze ran through the grounds and Arran suppressed a shiver that was running down his spine. Sebastian face seemed to become paler and then his eyes flashed pink. They became strangely catlike. Before Arran could open his mouth to say anything, he felt himself falling into darkness.

"There was no need to knock him unconscious!" Alois said as Claude tucked the warrior into bed.

"He was about to uncover what Sebastian was" Claude said shortly.

He led Alois out and closed the door behind him. They joined Ciel, Sebastian and Luke in the sitting room.

"You showed your true form in front of a human. That was foolishness on your part" Claude said the minute he entered the room.

"He was holding Ciel at that moment. If someone held Alois like that how would you feel?" Sebastian asked.

"At least look at reason and not give in to anger" Claude replied.

"Can we all calm down?" Alois asked looking between the two demons.

"He's the one who made a mistake" Claude said.

"He's the one who won't accept the fact that shit happens" Sebastian said.

Ciel burst out laughing causing the demons to stare at her in shock.

"Sorry, it's the first time Sebastian cussed. I find it funny" She said between laughs.

"Will Arran remember anything after he wakes up?" Alois asked.

"Maybe, maybe not" Claude said.

"Says the younger demon" Sebastian said.

"The older one should have more control over his actions!"

"The younger shouldn't be scolding the other!"

"Well the older-" "Shut up!" Luke screamed effectively cutting off the argument.

"He started it" Both demons said in unison making Ciel laugh again.

"Can we just go to bed? I'm tired" Ciel said.

Sebastian stood and took Ciel's hand. They both said their goodnights and left for bed. Hannah soon came in and took Luke to bed. Alois leaned against Claude and then sighed. Claude lifted up his arm and Alois fell onto Claude's lap. Alois smiled lazily up at Claude and Claude stroked Alois's blond hair.

"Claude, what were you two arguing about? The older one and younger one?" Alois asked.

"Sebastian is many centuries older than I am. He has more strength and skill than I" Claude replied.

"I don't care what age says, Claude. You're always going to be the best for me" Alois sat up and then laid his head in the crook of Claude's neck.

"Let's go to bed" Claude said.

They walked to Alois's bedroom hand in hand. Downstairs, Arran awoke in pitch darkness. His head didn't ache but he was surprised to find himself in his room. All he could remember were car eyes and a pink glowing. He shrugged it off and then rolled over to fall asleep again.


	37. Chapter 37

**I've decided to update two chapters today since I have work to do tomorrow. On Sunday I will update again. Enjoy the latest case of the Dog and the Spider! **

**Onyxinlife**

"Why are we in a mental asylum?" Alois asked clutching at Claude's arm as a laughing patient passed him in the hallway.

"Because the Queen wants us to investigate a patient" Ciel replied flashing a kind smile to a small child who was playing a hand clapping game with a patient.

"Which patient?" Arran asked. He had become rather curious about the Dog and Spider duties that Ciel and Alois routinely performed.

"His name is J. He's been here for the past twelve years. In all these twelve years, he never spoke but he only laughed or cackled. Yesterday, two people attempted to kidnap him and it seemed to have triggered something in him. We're here to investigate what he's trying to say and why" Ciel explained.

"Countess Phantomhive? We've been expecting you" a doctor said coming towards them.

"Everyone this is Dr. Tanner. He's a psychologist and he's been in charge of Mr. J all this time" Ciel introduced.

"Before I take you to J, I should explain you a few things" Tanner said.

"Sure" Ciel said.

"First of all, J came here as a transfer from a general hospital. He had a rather bad head injury which caused him to have retrograde amnesia. He doesn't remember how he got the injury. He just sat still or laughed all these years but yesterday, his attempted kidnapping triggered something in his mind. He keeps muttering to himself" Tanner explained.

"Can we see him?" Ciel asked.

"I'm going to skip this one" Alois said.

"Of course but just three at a time. I don't want to agitate him" Tanner replied.

"Sebastian, Luke?" Ciel said and Sebastian nodded. Luke took Sebastian's hand.

They followed the doctor leaving Arran, Claude and Alois alone.

"Why are you so frightened of them?" Claude asked curiously.

"They're scary, you don't know what they might do next" Alois replied, his blue eyes full of fear.

A ball bounced towards them and Arran took it in his hands. They all looked towards two women who were staring at them with fear in their eyes. Arran smiled and then handed the ball back to one of the women. One woman smiled and waved at Arran. Arran smiled back and the women went back to playing with the ball.

"They're scared of us because they don't understand us. You don't understand them so you're afraid of them as well" Arran commented.

Ciel, Sebastian and Luke entered the room and saw J seated on his bed and watching Tom and Jerry with rapt attention.

"J? There are some people here to see you" Tanner said.

"Hi, J. I'm Ciel. How are you?" Ciel asked.

"I'm fine. How are you?" J asked with a smile. Ciel smiled even thought there were a couple of teeth missing in J's smile.

"We're going to ask you a couple of questions, J. Do you mind?" Ciel asked.

"No"

"What happened last night, J? Do you remember your kidnapper's faces?" Ciel asked.

"They were wearing ski masks. He didn't see a thing" Tanner replied.

"What about your memories? Since your kidnapping brought out something, do you remember what happened twelve years ago?" Ciel asked.

"He'll kill me. I don't want to die" J's eyes filled with tears and Ciel took his hand.

"You won't die, J, I promise. Just tell me what you know" Ciel said.

"He told me he would kill me. He would kill me in the church. In front of God because I sinned" J replied, his eyes full of fear.

"Do you remember where this church is?" Sebastian asked.

"I don't know. I remember some trees and lots of blue but nothing else. Oh yeah and Palm Beach Lodge" J replied.

"What about your real name?" Luke piped up.

"He doesn't remember that and we've tried tracing his ID but we couldn't" Tanner replied.

"Can you sign something for me?" Ciel pulled out a notebook and pen.

J took the pen in his shaking hands and then managed to sign an E on the paper.

"So your name starts with E" Ciel concluded.

"How did you figure that out?" Luke asked.

"You can forget everything but not your signature" Ciel replied.

They said their goodbyes to J and then walked out into the hallway.

"Who pays his hospital bills?" Sebastian asked.

"We don't have any details since the person wants to be anonymous. We just have his email address but no phone number or name" Tanner replied.

"Would you mind giving us the email address? We might be able to get something from that" Ciel asked.

After they were done, they went to look for Alois. They found him kicking a football around with a few patients. Arran was also with them while Claude was standing off to the side awkwardly.

"Time to go" Ciel said.

"Bye guys. We'll come to play later okay?" Alois said and then walked out of the room.

"I thought you were scared to death of them" Luke said.

"Arran made me think a little differently" Alois replied.

Back at the mansion, Ciel handed the email to Claude.

"Find whatever you can about this email ID. Maybe we can get something out of it" She said.

"So what can we say about our Mr. J?" Alois asked.

"He just remembers a church, the color blue and Palm Beach Lodge" Ciel replied.

"So does this lodge exist?" Arran asked.

"There are many Palm Beach Lodges in England now" Sebastian replied.

"What about 12 years ago? How many were there?" Ciel asked.

"Only one" Sebastian replied.

"Let's go investigate" Ciel said.

"According to the map there is a well-established church nearby" Arran said looking over Sebastian's shoulder.

"Can you pull up some images of the church?" Ciel asked.

Sebastian brought out some images and then Ciel smiled. The church had a blue roof at the top.

"We need to take J here and see if he does remember anything" Ciel said.

"We'll split up then. You and Sebastian can go to the lodge and then we'll take J to the church" Alois said.

"You really are starting to like the mental asylum, aren't you?" Ciel asked with a smirk.

"They're pretty fun to be around" Alois admitted.

That next afternoon, Alois, Claude, Arran and Luke took J to the church.

"Take me away from here! He's going to kill me! Please don't let him kill me!" J screamed.

He struggled against Claude's hold and Alois tried to calm him.

"Just tell us if you remember anything about this place and then we'll let you go" Alois said.

J nodded but the fear wouldn't leave his eyes. They began walking around the church and J suddenly began walking by himself.

"Is he going to run?" Luke asked.

"Here, there's something here" J said pointing to the flower garden.

"In the flower garden? Is he off his rocker?" Alois asked.

"He is a mental patient" Arran pointed out.

"One who's on the way to recovery" Luke countered.

"Here!" J insisted pointing to the garden.

"Claude, dig it up" Alois said.

Claude bent and then began digging with his gloved hands. He dug around three feet and then something could be seen.

"Oh my god" Alois closed his eyes in horror.

Inside in the dug up garden was a skeleton.


	38. Chapter 38

"Well that was for nothing" Ciel said tucking J's photo back into her small bag pack.

They had just left the lodge where no one gave them an answer about J and any records of about 12 years ago had been destroyed in a fire.

"Wait!"

They turned and saw an old man walking towards them.

"You two were asking about someone right?" The old man asked.

"Yes sir, who are you?" Ciel asked politely.

"I am Dennis Williams, I used to work here until I retired ten years ago" He replied.

"Do you know this man?" Sebastian asked pulling out the picture.

"This man came with another man to this lodge. They stayed for two nights and on the first night a third man used to come and visit them every few hours. Then suddenly this man and his friend disappeared. There was a fire in the lodge and the third man who used to visit the other two came to donate a large amount of money to repair the lodge after the fire" Dennis explained.

"Do you remember his name? Or even details?" Ciel asked.

"I remember this man's friend was called Garrett. The third man also stole the master card of the rooms at this lodge from me. It was never returned. I'm sorry I'm not much help" Dennis replied.

"Thank you so much sir. You've been a great help" Sebastian said.

They reached the car where Ciel grinned at the sight of the skeleton. They took the skeleton to the Undertaker and then began regrouping the information.

"So J was at the lodge with another man whose name is Garrett. Who is this third man in the picture?" Arran asked.

"What happened around that time 12 years ago?" Alois asked.

"A jewelry robbery. Priceless diamonds were stolen and never found. There were no leads so the case was shut. A week later, J was admitted to the mental asylum" Sebastian replied.

"Did you find any details on who pays the hospital bills?" Ciel asked.

"There were no details. I decided to trace the bank account where the payments come from. The name of the bank account owner is John Doe" Claude replied.

"John Doe equals Anonymous. Did you check any activity in the account?" Ciel asked.

"Still checking the entries" Claude replied.

The next morning, Ciel went to meet Officer Desmond who had been in charge of the jewelry case.

"We didn't find anything so we left it. The diamonds were never found" Desmond said.

"How much would the diamonds cost now if they were found?" Ciel asked.

"Around ten million pounds" Desmond replied.

Ciel was about to finish up the questioning when her phone rang.

"A woman has come to the hospital. She knows who J is" Alois said.

"I'll be right there" Ciel said.

Ciel entered the hospital where all of them were standing outside the door.

"You left that woman alone with J? Is that okay?" Ciel asked.

"You destroyed my family. How dare you say you don't even remember?" The woman inside screamed.

"I'm sorry madam but I don't remember anything. I don't understand what you're trying to tell me" J insisted.

"You bastard!" there was a sound of a slap and then a sound of crying.

Ciel opened the door and then discovered the woman crying silently while J had huddled under his blanket, shaking.

"Madam, let's go" Ciel took the woman's hand and then led her out.

"If you don't mind me asking, how exactly do you know J?" Ciel asked after seating the woman and handing her a cup of tea.

The woman placed the tea on another chair and her hand began to shake violently.

"Madam, are you alright?" Sebastian asked and the woman clutched at her arm.

"Doctor!" Alois shouted as the woman shivered violently.

Nurses and doctors surrounded the woman and took her to ICU. An hour later the woman was pronounced dead.

"There goes our lead" Alois grumbled.

"We could go to her house. Maybe we'll find something there" Ciel suggested.

Another disappointment set in when they reached the house and discovered that the woman lived all alone. However a neighbor was able to give them information.

"Shannon lived all alone. She was once happy with her daughter Allison and her husband Gary. Gary died in a car accident so Allison signed a contract with a recording company to support the both of them. Then Allison became pregnant with a man who worked as a security guard at the studio. Her mother wouldn't accept the baby and the man abandoned her. Allison committed suicide and so Shannon was left alone"

"Claude, take Luke home and then continue investigating the bank account. I'll go to the recording studio with Sebastian. A squared, decide where you want to go" Ciel said.

"I'll go with you" Alois said.

"I'll go with Claude" Arran said.

Once at the recording studio, Ciel began asking around for Allison. They finally found the manager who told them all about Allison.

"She was a great girl and she had a beautiful voice. She fell in love with Elijah who was a security guard. I had no objections to that but when she became pregnant, I had to cancel her contract" He said.

"Is this Elijah?" Ciel asked pulling out J's picture.

"That's the guy" The manager replied.

Back at the manor, Arran helped Claude research.

"There's a payment here for a pacemaker. It's for a man named Jimmy Yates" Arran said.

"I know that guy" Luke spoke up.

"Who is he?"

"He was a race car driver. He was amazing until he got a heart attack. He uses pacemaker according to his fan following" Luke replied.

Ciel and Sebastian headed to the hospital with photos of Allison and her parents but Elijah insisted that he didn't recognize any of them. Instead he hummed a tune which he said that he remembered or scribbled away in a blank notebook.

"Maybe we should ask the nurses about this John Doe guy" Ciel suggested.

They walked out to ask the reception about the bills and then heard a shout. They rushed back to Elijah's room and then saw his bed was empty. They ran out and then saw a white car racing away from the hospital.

"They got him" Ciel said and Sebastian nodded.

They returned to Elijah's room and Ciel took the notebook that the patient had been routinely scribbling in.

"He's writing MIB125 over and over" Ciel observed and then left the notebook on the bed.

Back at the manor, Claude reported that the account was being operated by the John Doe but the account belonged to Jimmy the race car driver. Jimmy was currently retired and never really used the account.

"So you're saying that the John Doe hacked into the account and Jimmy is an innocent bystander?" Ciel asked.

"I don't think so because Jimmy is currently in London and not in Scotland where he stays" Claude replied.

"So who's our John Doe?" Alois asked frustrated.

"And why would they kidnap Elijah?" Arran asked.

"The skeleton we found is Garrett's which means they were all involved in this jewelry robbery. I think Elijah and Garrett stole the diamonds and hid them. The third guy who I can say is John Doe wanted the diamonds. He kills Garrett at night using the master key of the lodge which sends Elijah into a shock that he becomes mental and the secret of where the diamonds are went with him" Ciel theorized.

"So our John Doe has been paying the bills all this time and Jimmy is in on this plan. They're trying to make him better so he would tell them where the diamonds are" Alois finished.

"We still need to figure out where they took Elijah" Arran said.

"The car has been tracked. Let's go" Claude announced.

They rushed out and then Ciel remembered something while Claude drove them to the place where the car was

"He kept on writing a bunch of numbers in the note book. MIB125" Ciel said.

"Maybe it's the car registration number" Alois suggested.

They got out of the car and then broke open the white car that was parked in an alleyway.

"There's a dead body here" Sebastian announced.

"Any ID on him?" Alois asked.

"His name's Leroy Lovato" Sebastian replied and Ciel gasped.

"I figured out what MIB125 means!"

Elijah walked into a bank's locker room and then scanned the numbers of the lockers. He reached out and then turned the lock with the combination.

"1, 2, 5" he muttered and the door opened. The locker was empty.

"Looking for this?" Ciel asked as she stepped out from behind a row of lockers.

She held up a small leather pouch and Elijah stared at her in shock.

"I figured that the diamonds were here because of what you wrote in your room. You've been waiting for twelve years to get these" Ciel said.

Elijah sat down on a chair and then began his confession.

"It's true. Garrett and I stole the diamonds and hid them where we could get them after all the investigations died down. Then Leroy found out and wanted them. He killed Garrett and tried to get the location out of me. He hit me rather badly and I lost my memories. Then I saw his face when he tried to kidnap me so I remembered everything. He brought Jimmy into it but killed him after Jimmy threatened to tell the police so Leroy killed him"

"Then how did Harold die?" Alois asked.

"I killed him because I wanted the diamonds for myself" Elijah hung his head and they all heard police sirens outside.

"Who wants to say it this time?" Ciel asked looking around.

"With that the case is closed!" Luke said pumping his fist in the air, making them all laugh.

**I won't be updating until the 15th since I'm going on holiday. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will be patient until I return. Until then review!**

**Onyxinlife. **


	39. Chapter 39

"You're leaving?" Luke asked, his eyes filling with tears.

"I found another temple with a monk to train me. I'll come visit though" Arran said shouldering his duffel bag and strapping his sword at his waist.

"What brought this on?" Ciel asked, her arms folded.

"I can't stay here forever. Its better I continue in my training" Arran replied.

"Or more like you got your heart broken and you're running away from the pain" Alois said.

"It's not like that-" "It is like that" Alois cut the warrior off.

"What about my training? I was having loads of fun" Luke asked.

"You can go to a martial arts gym across town. The sensei will help you" Arran replied.

"But I like training with you. Don't go" Luke said.

"Let him go if he wants to. We don't have anything to keep him here" Ciel said harshly.

"Ciel..." Arran stared at her cold as ice eyes.

"Just go, Arran. You're not strong enough to endure the pain that heart break brings then you'll never fit in with us. All of us have been through different kinds of pain. I lost my parents and all living relatives. Alois has been abused in almost every way since he was a kid until his parents died. Luke's been through the pain of being an orphan at a young age. You don't know what that's like. Just leave" Ciel said.

"I have been through pain, Ciel. Pain of being excluded in your own family, pain of losing my mother and now pain of having my heart stepped on by only the person I've ever loved. You're heartless, Ciel" Arran said.

"Everyone has a dark side, Arran. You won't be able to love mine" Ciel replied.

"Just leave, Arran. There's no point in arguing here" Alois said.

Arran turned and walked out the front door. Alois sighed in relief and then closed the doors. Luke sat down on the tiled floor and began to cry. Alois quickly ran to comfort his brother while Ciel turned around and walked up the stairs. Sebastian who had been silent this entire time followed Ciel up the stairs.

"Ciel!"

Ciel turned around, her eyes blazing. Sebastian flinched and then wrapped his arms around her.

"He's so selfish! He doesn't realize how much he hurt Luke by leaving" Ciel complained.

"Ciel, don't you think he did the right thing? We can't be selfish and keep him here when he doesn't want to stay here" Sebastian asked.

"You're right but I can't bear seeing Luke so hurt" Ciel replied.

"We can take him to the martial arts gym and start his training there. Problem solved" Sebastian said.

A little while later, Ciel contacted the gym. They had a rather impressive martial arts program so she signed Luke up for it. Alois sat opposite her as she spoke on the phone with the sensei.

"The gym is a really nice place but it will be good for Luke. There are lots of kids Luke's age so he'll be able to make friends" Ciel said after she hung up.

"We have another letter from the Queen" Claude said walking into the room.

Ciel and Alois stood up and then made their way to the sitting room. Ciel sat down on the couch and accepted the letter from Sebastian. As the Dog and Spider read the letter, Luke entered the room and sat down quietly on an armchair.

"We are to investigate a drug scandal. There have been several raids by New Scotland Yard but so far they haven't found any leads" Ciel said.

"We can't really do much about this" Alois said.

"But there is one thing we can do. Apparently there is also another letter the Queen has sent" Sebastian said holding out another letter.

"Another one? This is rather strange" Ciel commented taking the letter and opening it.

After reading, Ciel sighed. Alois furrowed his eyebrows and then placed the letter on the table.

"What did it say?" Luke asked.

"There is a certain fort out on the beach. Apparently, whoever visits this place is never seen again. There is some sort of a demon who seems to be killing anyone who comes to the fort. This phenomenon is attracting wide media coverage and just recently they found a male's dead body there" Ciel replied.

There was a knock on the front doors. Sebastian sighed and then went to open the doors.

"I would like to speak to Countess Phantomhive and Earl Trancy please" a female voice said.

"Let her in, Sebastian" Ciel said and the woman with an older man were let into the mansion.

"My name is Sandra Berry and this is my uncle George. I understand that you're investigating the case of the demon killing everyone in the fort. You won't exactly believe it but my father was also killed by that demon"

"Demons don't exist, Sandra" Ciel said.

"No one believed and thought I was a child just playing games. But I saw her that day killing my father" Sandra said.

"Thank you for giving us this information. What did your father exactly do?" Ciel asked.

"We were both scientists. He used to enjoy going to places where myths or legends existed because he liked proving them wrong. He took Sandra to the fort one day and he never came back. She was lucky to escape" George replied.

After George and Sandra left, Ciel began thinking about the case logically.

"There's no way it can be a demon. Sebastian, have you heard of any demons lurking around?" Ciel asked.

"As far as I know, no" Sebastian replied.

"This demon story is fake. I think we should check the history of this fort thoroughly" Alois said.

"Does anyone find it strange that she shows up just as we get the letter?" Luke asked but he was ignored.

The next day however, a news story erupted. Two reporters who had decided to investigate the fort had not returned when they went to visit the fort. Instead, their video cameras were found and screams and pleads of help were heard from the recordings.

"Now this is serious, we have to go and find this so called demon for ourselves" Ciel said.

"We should go investigate this fort" Alois said.

As they drove to the beach, Ciel began reading up articles on the fort.

"This fort was used by King Edward whose castle was renovated by Ciel Phantomhive in 1888" Ciel said and Alois chuckled.

"Trust your ancestor to be involved in this mess" Alois said and Luke giggled.

They got to the beach and as they headed to the fort, Luke complained that he was hungry.

"There's a cafe right here. We can get something to eat and then go check out the fort" Alois said pointing to a small wooden building.

They entered and then sat down at the bar.

"I haven't seen you around here. You from the city?" The bartender asked.

"Yeah, we wanted to check out that fort right over there" Alois replied and Ciel kicked him under the bar.

"Everyone's been asking about that fort lately. I've been warning everyone to stay away from that place. Lots of people listen but there are a few who think I'm all talk. Like that couple two days ago" The bartender said.

"A couple? Tell us more..." Ciel glanced down at his nameplate. "Earl".

Earl chuckled. "Well two days ago, at night, there was a lonely woman sitting here. She comes here every night and I always give her a few drinks free, bless her heart. She met a guy here two nights ago and I'm pretty sure they were right about to get it on at the bar, if you know what I mean" he winked.

Ciel nodded and Alois looked fairly disgusted.

"Well, the woman was shy and she didn't wanna take him home because her mama was home. He lived too far away and it was rather cool night so they decided to go for a swim. I heard their plans and then warned them to stay away from the fort. They didn't listen so I left them at it. I called the coast guard just in case. They got to the fort and found the man dead but the woman was nowhere to be found. There were blood splatters all over the walls" Earl said.

"So who killed them?" Alois asked.

"A demon did" Earl replied.

Sebastian and Claude stiffened and Luke glanced at them.

"A demon? They don't even exist" Ciel said and Sebastian relaxed somewhat.

"Well, this here's a female demon. She's got the look of a human woman with long black hair and dark eyes. Some escaped her wrath but most don't" Earl said.

"Let's go find this demon then" Ciel said.

"Hang on, I'm hungry" Luke said.

"Me too!" Alois said and Ciel hung her head.

After eating, they made their way to the fort. Ciel shivered and Sebastian immediately wrapped his coat around her. They entered the fort and Alois squinted ahead of them but couldn't see anything.

"Can you guys see through the fog?" He asked.

"I can" Claude and Sebastian both said in unison.

There was a cackle and then Ciel felt something brush past her. She stopped and Sebastian wrapped his arms around her waist.

"We are alone here. No need to be alarmed" He announced holding Ciel tighter to his body.

Then a woman appeared before them with long black hair and dark eyes. Ciel's eyes narrowed and she pulled out her gun from her back pocket. She aimed and shot at the woman but the bullets didn't even touch her.

"Alois, your gun!" Ciel screamed and Alois pulled out his gun and fired shot after shot. They soon ran out of bullets.

"RUN!" Alois screamed and then began to run. Claude picked Luke up and ran for the exit.

Sebastian dragged Ciel away and there was another cackle as they rushed into the car and drove off.

**I'm finally back home! I wrote this up when I heard this myth of demons in a fort. I decided to write it in as a mission. The story is building up and the characters will start figuring out holes in the middle of their missions that they missed before. All of this will lead up the the climax and eventual end. **

**Onyxinlife**


	40. Chapter 40

"That was the most creepiest thing I have ever seen in my life" Alois said.

"What did you all see? We didn't see anything" Claude said as he drove back to the mansion.

"What do you mean? Didn't you two see the black haired woman with dark eyes?" Luke asked.

"No we didn't, we were alone in the fort" Sebastian replied.

"Now this is strange. How come we saw her but you two didn't?" Ciel asked.

Sebastian shrugged and Luke wrapped his arms around Ciel. His shoulders were still shaking from the memory of the creepy woman.

That night, Ciel fell into a restless sleep. She tossed and turned and then finally fell into a fitful sleep.

_Where am I? _

_Ciel looked around and then remembered the familiar walls of the fort. She took a few steps back and the horrible cackle echoed off the walls of the fort. She looked around and then spotted the dark haired woman._

Ciel shot up, breathing heavily. The door opened and Sebastian rushed inside.

"Is something wrong?" He asked wrapping his arms around her.

"Just a nightmare. I saw that woman" Ciel replied cuddling into his side.

"The woman must have frightened you beyond belief" Sebastian said.

"The dream was so vivid and clear. It was like I was back at the fort again. It was like having a dream in HD" Ciel said.

"Dreams aren't supposed to be like that. You never had nightmares, even when your parents died" Sebastian commented.

"Exactly, nothing really scares me but how come this does?"

Sebastian sighed and then made Ciel lie back down. She placed her head on his lap and was asleep just a few minutes later. However when she awoke at four in the morning she was smiling.

"I figured this mystery out" she said to Sebastian.

The next day, Sandra called them all to her home.

"Why have you called us here?" Sebastian asked.

"I saw the woman yesterday here. In my home" Sandra replied and her hands shook at the memory.

"How about I make some coffee?" Ciel asked.

She served them all coffee except for Sebastian and Claude. As everyone took a sip of their coffees, Ciel glanced over at Alois.

"Alois, concentrate on the corner over there. Can you see the woman?" Ciel asked.

Alois glanced over and then jumped in surprise.

"She's right there!" he said, his voice cracking.

"I don't see anything" Luke said and Sandra nodded.

"Let me explain. I mixed a special drug in Alois's mug. This drug causes a person to have hallucinations of a specific kind. At first I thought that the coffee or the food we ate at the coffee was drugged but it wasn't" Ciel said.

"Then how were we influenced under the drug to hallucinate about the woman?" Sandra asked.

"The fog around the fort was a specially formed smoke with the scent of the drug. We all breathed it in and then had these hallucinations. I figured it out when I had that nightmare of the woman the night after we saw her in the fort" Ciel replied.

"But then how did my father die? I saw the demon kill him" Sandra insisted.

"You hallucinated the entire thing. Your uncle was the one who killed your father. Your father found the drug manufacturing that your uncle was doing in the fort and he was killed because of that" Ciel replied.

Sandra leaned against the back of the couch and closed her eyes. A tear leaked out of one closed eyelid and Ciel took her hand. Sebastian grabbed his phone and then called the police.

"We should go" Alois said.

Claude nodded and led Alois and Luke out. Sebastian waited for Ciel who got up and walked out. They drove off in silence, listening to the police sirens that were fading the more they got closer to the mansion. Alois walked up to his room while Ciel left to her study. Luke looked up at the demon butlers before shrugging and walking into the kitchen.

Claude sighed and walked up the stairs and then opened the door of Alois's room. He winced when he heard the too loud music coming from the stereo and the surround sound speakers. He closed the door and spotted Alois lying down on the bed with his eyes shut. Claude sighed and then walked over the stereo and pressing the pause button. Alois's eyes shot open as the music stopped.

"Who the hell told you to do that?" Alois screamed his blue eyes ablaze.

"It was too loud" Claude said with a blank face.

"Go away, Claude" Alois turned over onto his stomach and pressed his face against the blankets.

Claude walked over and then placed his body right on top of Alois's. He wrapped his arms around Alois's waist effectively trapping the blond.

"Let me go!" Alois wriggled around and Claude growled in arousal.

Alois paused, wide eyed. Claude bit the blonde's ear making Alois gasp out in pleasure. Claude continued kissing down the back of Alois's pale neck and soon Alois went slack in Claude's arms. He shivered as Claude's tongue ran all over shoulders. Claude smirked. Alois wouldn't stand this teasing much longer. Soon enough, Alois flipped them over with a burst of strength and then kissed Claude. Claude kept his lips closed and Alois lifted his head in confusion.

"I'm not giving anything until you tell me what's wrong" Claude said and Alois groaned in frustration.

"Fine" Alois got off the demon and walked over the window.

Claude sat up and then waited.

"When Ciel revealed that George had killed Sandra's father, it just hit me really hard. You know that my father is Andrew Trancy. He had a brother as well, named Edward Trancy. Edward didn't like that Andrew received all of the Trancy businesses, estates and money. He tried to kill my father but in the process killed himself. I still remember how much he would threaten me that he would take everything from me" Alois said.

"He is dead now so he shouldn't be a fear to you" Claude pointed out.

"I was a child, Claude! You don't understand. He leered at me every time I saw him and when I sat next to him he would drop hints that he would take everything from me and take me away and kill me" Alois took a deep breath and Claude wrapped his arms around the blond.

Alois bit his lower lip as his tears began to fall. Claude tightened his hold and Alois smiled. He knew Claude would never let him go.

Ciel finished writing her latest journal entry and then stood up. She pulled a book from the shelf and stepped back as the door opened. She descended the steps and then stopped short. There was light coming from the secret study room. The light danced against the stone walls and Ciel crept closer. She peeked into the room and then saw Sebastian lighting candles. The antique furniture had been pushed against the wall to make room for a large thick carpet and lots of pillows.

"What are you doing?" Ciel asked stepping into the room.

"Have you forgotten what the date is?" Sebastian asked.

Ciel furrowed her eyebrows and then raised a brow in question. Sebastian sighed.

"It's our six month anniversary" He reminded and Ciel had a shocked look on her face.

"I forgot. I'm sorry. I don't usually care for all these things. I didn't know you cared for monthly anniversaries" Ciel said.

"I don't usually do but you always made me do a lot of things I've never done" Sebastian admitted.

"I just think it's so cheesy. Besides, who needs monthly anniversaries when we're going to be together forever?"

Sebastian was in front of her in a flash and Ciel smiled up at him demurely.

"Forever?" Sebastian asked trailing a finger down Ciel's face.

"Forever"

Their lips met and Ciel giggled as Sebastian lifted her up and lowered her down on the comfy floor. He loomed over her on his hands and knees with his long bangs tickling Ciel's face.

"I love you" Ciel breathed out.

Sebastian closed his eyes and lowered his head down on Ciel's stomach. Ciel breathed in sharply as Sebastian pulled off her tee shirt in an instant.

"Damn demonic speed" Ciel complained and Sebastian smirked in amusement.

Ciel pouted and then dragged him down to kiss him. Sebastian smirked against her lips which made her even more frustrated.

"Just respond already!" Ciel whisper-yelled and Sebastian nodded.

Their lips meshed in a kiss and Sebastian's tongue invaded and plundered Ciel's mouth. She moaned and felt all thoughts race out of her mind and his hand trailed up her waist to rest on her shoulder.

"I love you, I love you so much Ciel" Sebastian whispered and Ciel arched her back as Sebastian plunged deep inside her.

"I love you too" A tear trailed down Ciel's cheek which Sebastian licked away.

Eventually Ciel's eyes drooped in exhaustion. Sebastian kissed her one last time and then held her tight in his arms.

"Goodnight, Ciel"


	41. Chapter 41

"Last week of school before Christmas break!" Alois whooped as they walked down the hallway.

"But you know what that means. Semester reports" Ciel said.

"Oh yeah. I'm sure I'll get a C in World History" Alois said.

"A in AP Math and English" Ciel said.

"Yeah we know you're a genius" Alois said.

He stopped suddenly and Ciel glanced up at him.

"Why'd you stop?" She asked.

"Arran's still here. I thought he left" Alois said.

Ciel glanced ahead and then spotted Arran pulling out his books for class. Arran froze and then turned. He stared at Ciel and Alois for a couple of seconds before closing his locker door and walking away.

"He's avoiding us" Ciel said walking up to her locker and pulling it open.

"Who cares, he's a coward" Alois said leaning against the locker next to Ciel's.

After school, Ciel and Alois returned home only to find an invitation on the table. Alois grabbed it before Ciel could and began reading aloud.

"Her Royal Majesty, The Queen cordially invites Countess Ciel Phantomhive to the annual Christmas ball at her Sandringham home" Alois read and then frowned.

"She invited me?" Ciel snatched the invitation.

"Where's my invitation?" Alois asked.

"Right here" Claude said handing the invitation to Alois.

"We can each bring a guest" Ciel said.

"You can't take Sebastian. I'm pretty sure the press would love you dating your teacher and me dating a man" Alois said.

"So we won't take anyone. We'll go together" Ciel said.

"Then what about us?" Claude asked.

"You'll have to stay in, Claude. It's too risky" Alois replied.

"Sometimes I feel like I should quit the job at school and just work full-time here" Sebastian said.

"We need to go shopping and make travel arrangements" Ciel said.

The day of the ball arrived. Ciel dressed in a fitting satin cobalt blue ball gown. The material flowed around her like water. It was sleeveless and floor length. She had gotten her hair cut into a more sleek and chic short style, successfully hiding her eye patched eye. Hannah had styled her hair to look more feminine and then had given her a pearl choker with matching earrings as jewelry.

"No I'm not wearing this necklace. Hand me the one Sebastian gave me" Ciel said taking off the pearl choker.

Hannah handed it to her wordlessly and then watched Ciel wear the necklace.

"It makes your blue eyes stand out" Hannah commented and Ciel closed her eyes for Hannah to do her makeup.

After that, Hannah helped her wear a pair of silver sling back heels. Then Ciel walked out of her room and down the stairs where Alois was waiting. He had dressed in a black suit with a blue shirt that matched Ciel's dress color.

"You look amazing" Alois commented as Ciel walked down the stairs.

"Where's Sebastian?" Ciel asked.

"Outside with Claude. They're making sure the rental car is running well" Alois replied.

They walked out of the house they had rented while in Norfolk and the demons attention came onto them.

"I've never seen you look so beautiful" Sebastian took Ciel in his arms and kissed her.

"You looked rather handsome" Claude commented with an uncomfortable cough.

"Thanks" Alois could feel that he was blushing and then glanced over at Ciel who was trying to extricate herself from Sebastian's arms, lest they be late.

Claude drove them to Sandringham house and then reminded them to call if they wished to leave. Ciel and Alois walked up to the entrance and then handed their invitations to the foot soldier at the front door.

"Earl Alois Trancy and Countess Ciel Phantomhive"

Ciel's hand tightened on Alois's arm as they stepped down the stairs. She scanned the room and noted that the Queen had not yet made her appearance.

"Hey there's Prince William and his wife" Alois pointed out and Ciel looked around.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge looked like a picture perfect couple. Both of them were smiling brightly as they greeted their guests and exchanged news.

"Let's go meet them" Alois said.

"Maybe later. Let's go get a drink" Ciel said.

They both took a glass of wine and then wandered around greeting other people.

"Countess Phantomhive, we finally meet" Ciel turned and then smiled at the Duke of Cambridge.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir. Congratulations to the both of you" Ciel said and Alois nodded.

"Thank you. I must say, you have grown up into a beautiful young woman" The Duke of Cambridge said.

"I'm sorry but I don't really remember meeting you during my younger years" Ciel replied.

"My grandmother, the Queen, has been taking note of your achievements since your father passed away. When I heard you and Trancy had taken up your duties again, I was simply astonished. I knew how much your aunt refused the Queen's invitations" The Duke of Cambridge replied.

"I didn't realize how much the Queen worried about my family. I would have to thank for this when I meet her later this evening" Ciel said.

"My grandmother enjoys seeing women being empowered and forging ahead in the world. She simply adores you and you are already taking care of all the missions she is giving you. That's all she needs in thanks" He said.

"You must try this champagne. It's been imported from France" The Duchess said holding out a glass of wine.

"If you don't mind, my lady, would you like to dance with me?" Alois asked holding out his hand.

The Duchess looked up at her husband who nodded. Alois took her hand and they went to waltz on the dance floor.

"So Countess how goes your schooling? You go to St. Rudolph, am I right?" The Duke asked.

"I am a junior at St. Rudolph. I'm usually top in my year and I'm currently a delegate for the student council. I'm still considering whether I should run for vice president with one of the seniors" Ciel replied taking a small sip of wine.

"You should take the chance. Being vice president would look good for university. What course of study are you going for?"

"I was thinking of taking business in university but I was hoping to take something in music as well" Ciel replied.

"Would you sing for my grandmother tonight? She has been raving about your voice for a long time. It would delight her if you sing for her"

"Of course I will. I can sing before your speech of thanks" Ciel said.

"I'll just go notify the staff" The Duke melted into the crowd and the music ended.

Alois kissed the Duchess's hand and then returned to Ciel's side.

"Let's dance. I feel strange just standing around" Alois said.

Ciel sighed and let him lead her onto the dance floor. They danced a simple waltz for a while before the foot soldiers announced the Queen's entrance. The queen was dressed in a simple lilac gown and she had a weathered but kind smile. Ciel waited until the crowd around her dissipated before stepping forward and introducing herself with Alois.

"It is such a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty" Alois said with a bow.

Ciel smiled and greeted Prince Charles who just gave her a brusque nod and walked away with his wife. Ciel and Alois exchanged a glance but then brushed it off. Soon enough the night came to an end.

"Ladies and gentlemen, attention please"

Everyone turned to listen to the Duke of Cambridge.

"I'd like to thank everyone for being here tonight. This night has made my grandmother happy and I'm sure all of you have enjoyed yourselves. Unfortunately good things must come to an end and so has this night. But not before a song from one of our guests. Please welcome onstage, to conclude this night of joy, Countess Ciel Phantomhive"

There was applause as Ciel made her way onto the stage and then gave a song to the orchestra.

She smiled at the crowd and then began to sing.

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas,_

_Let your heart be light_

_From now on,_

_Our troubles will be out of sight_

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas,_

_Make the Yule-tide gay,_

_From now on, _

_Our troubles will be miles away._

_Here we are as in olden days,_

_Happy golden days of yore._

_Faithful friends who are dear to us_

_Gather near to us once more._

_Through the years _

_We all will be together,_

_If the Fates allow_

_Hang a shining star upon the highest bough._

_And have yourself A merry little Christmas now._

Applause rang around the room. Ciel glanced over at the Queen who was giving her a standing ovation. Behind her, Prince Charles had a frown on his face while his wife seemed to smile. Ciel curtsied politely and then got off the stage, back to Alois. The evening ended on a happy note.

Ciel sat in the car thinking. Why wasn't Prince Charles even noticing them? After all, they had done a lot for him and his family. A little acknowledgement would be more than enough.

"What's wrong?" Alois asked glancing over in concern.

"Nothing" Ciel replied.

"Doesn't look like nothing if you're frowning like that" Alois said.

"Prince Charles is such a douchebag" Ciel said.

"If a douchebag's a douchebag, you can't do anything about it" Alois pointed out.

"It feels like we were the dirt under his shoes" Ciel commented.

"At least the Queen gave us some love" Alois said.

Ciel smiled at the thought of the old woman with a soft smile. Her eyes soon fell shut and she was asleep even before she got home.


	42. Chapter 42

_My head is saying_

_Fool, forget him. _

_My heart is saying_

_Don't let go._

_Hold on to the end_

_That's what I intend to do._

_I'm hopelessly devoted to you. _

_But now there's nowhere to hide_

_Since you pushed my love aside._

_I'm out of my head_

_Hopelessly devoted to you. _

_Hopelessly devoted to you. _

Ciel wiped a tear away from her eye as Arran finished his emotional number. Unshed tears were shining in his eyes as well.

"For a warrior, he's a rather emotional person" Alois commented as Arran walked off to his seat.

"Since this is the last class of the year before Christmas break, I've been told by the headmaster that I need to give out a project" Sebastian said.

Most of the students groaned at this.

"You can do this project in groups of five. Since everyone in this room knows about musicals, each group has to put on a musical from Broadway. Whichever one is the best, will be acted onstage as the Spring musical" Sebastian said.

"We have to act out the whole musical?" Rhiannon asked.

"A minimum of one song complete with choreography, costumes, the works" Sebastian replied.

"What if two groups do the same musical?" Alois asked.

"There are only three groups. Listen for your names. Group 1 Lisa, Amanda, Ray, Tamara and Terrence. Group 2 Alois, Rhiannon, Kyle, Faith and Lisa. Group 3 Ciel, Arran, Alan, Edward, Ginny, Michael. Does anyone want to switch groups?"

"Can I switch with Faith?" Edward asked sticking up his hand.

"If Faith doesn't have a problem with it then sure" Sebastian replied.

"So what musicals will we be doing?" Lisa asked.

"Group 1 will be doing The Lion King" Sebastian said and the members of Group 1 seemed to like the choice.

"Group 2, you'll be doing West Side Story and Group 3 will be doing Grease"

Ciel smiled and then went to meet up with her group.

"I think we should do The One That I Want. That's always a crowd pleaser" Faith suggested.

"We have two singers so it will be great. Who wants to be in charge of costumes?" Michael asked.

"I can do costumes. I just need your sizes" Ginny replied.

"So when should we practice?" Ciel asked.

"How about the week before Christmas break ends? Everyone will be at home and we can meet up in auditorium to practice" Arran replied.

"Okay Danny Zuko" Ginny said and everyone laughed.

The Christmas break began. Everyone had a quiet time at home. Sebastian and the rest had decorated the entire house and brought in a large tree.

"I wanna put the star on top!" Luke said holding the star in his hands.

"Let's put the lights around first" Ciel said untangling dozens of trail lights.

Alois hung them around the tree and then lifted Luke on his shoulders so the younger boy could put the star at the top.

"Done!" Luke announced and Sebastian turned on the lights.

"It looks amazing" Ciel said with a smile.

"Our first Christmas in the mansion" Alois said.

"Only four more days to Christmas. I can't wait" Luke said.

"It's snowing too. It feels like Christmas" Ciel commented.

"So what did you all do for Christmas?" Sebastian asked.

"My family and I would go to the Santa in the shopping malls. I would sit on his lap and then ask for whatever I wanted. I couldn't really do that anymore so we all would go to the neighborhood pub and I would sing Christmas songs there. We used to have hot chocolate every night since my dad and I are allergic to eggnog" Ciel replied.

"We used to go to some place where the temperatures were high. Mom never really liked the cold around Christmas so we would go to Hawaii, Malibu, South Africa" Alois replied.

"That sounds like fun" Sebastian admitted.

"But other than that, after my parents died I never really celebrated Christmas much" Ciel said.

"It kind of got boring. Most of the time, both of us go out and play with the snow. Then we exchange gifts or even go to amusement parks" Alois said.

"Should we go out and play with snow?" Luke asked.

"Sure, let's grab out coats and go out" Alois replied.

"Before all of you go gallivanting off, we have a letter from the Queen" Claude said stepping into the room.

"A letter during Christmas?" Ciel took the letter from Claude's hands.

She sat down and Alois sat down next to her to read the letter. They both sighed and then placed the letter on the table.

"What did it say?" Luke asked.

"A body has been found under the ice of River Thames" Ciel replied.

"Isn't the Frost Fair being held around this time? It must have been frightening for the visitors" Sebastian said.

"I suppose we have to go and find out what happened to the guy" Ciel said.

They reached the Frost Fair to find almost all visitors gone. Most of the stalls had closed up as well. New Scotland Yard police were wandering around as well.

"No civilians at this side of the fair" One of the police said to Ciel.

"I'm here on orders from Her Majesty" Ciel said holding up the letter.

The police let her and the group through. Ciel winced at the sight of the body. The man had drowned under the ice and his skin had a sickly blue tinge that came with being frozen to death.

"Any belongings on him?" She asked.

"His name is Park Ki Won, he's a student from South Korea studying at LSE. He was reported missing from his dorms last night. He and a group of friends had come to the Frost Fair yesterday afternoon and had gone for drinks afterwards. He didn't come back to the dorms and after recovering from hangovers did the friends find that he was missing" The inspector, Will reported.

"Could he have fallen into the ice?" Alois asked.

"That would be impossible since temperatures dropped below zero last night enabling the ice to stay frozen. Someone must have broken the ice and then thrown him in. The ice refroze again because of the low temperature" Will replied.

"But who would throw him in?" Luke asked.

"If you get any leads, please inform me" Ciel said.

They walked away and Ciel made a beeline for a small Chinese restaurant.

"Kang, where are you?" Ciel asked.

"You called, my dear Countess?"

Kang looked so much like Lau, the resemblance was astounding. Ciel sat down at the table and glared at Kang whose serene smile never lifted from his face.

"To what do I owe the pleasure after you so rudely rejected my invitation to my party?"

"You know I have a reputation to uphold. Now, to business. The man who died under the ice. Why was he murdered?" Ciel asked and Alois raised his eyebrows.

"How the hell would Kang know?" Alois asked.

"Your gambling base is right near the River Thames in the basement of the building closest to the river. If you didn't know anything or hear anything, then I'm the Queen of Sheba" Ciel replied.

"It is true the base is there but we were inactive last night. Heating in basements is rather expensive, you know" Kang replied.

"How do you know where his gambling bases are?" Luke asked.

"Who do you think is protecting me from detection by the Queen?" Kang replied.

"You're protecting this scum? For what?" Alois asked.

"I have my reasons" Ciel replied and Kang smirked.

"Since you have nothing to say, we'll be on our way" Sebastian said.

They trooped out of the restaurant and drove back home. The radio was on and the weather man was rather enthusiastic about reporting the weather.

"I find it strange that Kang was inactive last night out of all nights this month" Claude spoke up.

"I find it strange as well. I can't dig into his alibi though. That would be breaking my side of the deal" Ciel said.

"What did you make a deal on?" Alois asked.

"He wanted my machinery, I wanted his contacts. He knows the entire underworld of London and he's a part of many foreign gangs. If anything happens, I would be the first to know. In return, I give him my machinery and protection as long as he is discreet. One of the clauses in our contract is that I turn a blind eye to what he's doing and vice versa" Ciel replied.

"That's a rather dangerous deal. What if he gets caught? You'll get roped into this as well" Alois pointed out.

"It's this or losing my number one informant. It's a win win for both of us" Ciel replied.

"So about Park Ki Won. Why was he murdered?" Luke asked.

"What was happening around the time he was murdered is what we need to know. Lots of gangs have their bases in the basements around the river. Maybe he heard something he shouldn't have heard" Ciel replied.

"That would be difficult to find out since Kang was inactive last night" Alois pointed out.

"Why don't we just confirm his alibi?" Luke asked.

"Because it would be breaking my part of the deal!" Ciel replied.

"I think I just found a loophole" Sebastian said.

"How?" Alois asked and Ciel smirked, having understood.


	43. Chapter 43

"You are a freaking genius" Alois exclaimed as he read the report Sebastian had made.

"Just because Ciel can't investigate Kang doesn't mean we can't" Sebastian said passing a copy of the report to Ciel.

"Kang was lying. He was active last night. The lying bastard" Ciel said reading the report.

"Let's go confront him" Luke said.

"Ciel can't come with us. If she comes, it would break her side of the deal" Claude said.

"How can that be?" Alois asked.

"If I confront him, it shows I investigated him. Goodbye deal" Ciel replied.

"So you stay home with Luke and Sebastian. I'll go with Claude" Alois said.

"Fine, good luck" Ciel said.

Alois and Claude left and Ciel felt her eyes drooping. Sebastian caught her quickly and made her lie down on the sofa.

"What's wrong with her?" Luke asked coming closer.

"Seems to be a light fever. I'll take her upstairs. Can you tell Hannah to cook some soup and bring it upstairs?" Sebastian took Ciel in his arms while Luke raced off to find Hannah.

Alois and Claude drove to Kang's restaurant. On the way there, Alois received a text from Sebastian saying that Ciel was ill.

"This is perfect. Kang will definitely not break the deal since Ciel sick to even take part in this mission" Alois said.

They entered the restaurant and then sat down to wait for Kang. One of the scantily clad waitresses served them both green tea which Alois immediately spat out after having a sip and Claude didn't even touch the cup.

"You two again? I'm disappointed. I thought Ciel would be here" Kang came in with his traditional Chinese robes.

"Ciel caught a chill by being out here. She's got a high fever so she's been asleep ever since we got home" Alois replied.

"That's quite sad to hear. So, what are you two doing here then?" Kang opened his grey eyes and narrowed them at Alois.

"Claude and I did some research without Ciel's knowledge. We know you were actually active last night. So, tell us why did you lie? Were you directly involved in Park Ki Won's murder?" Alois sat back and folded his arms.

"Ciel would not be happy if she found out what you've done" Kang said quietly.

"Well what she doesn't know won't hurt her" Alois replied back.

"Oh I think it will" Kang said leaning against his seat.

"Answer the questions or there will be hell to pay" Claude said.

"Yes my gambling base was active last night. I wasn't involved in murdering the person from my own mother's country. I wouldn't know if someone in the gambling base did it since we don't have any CCTV. I could ask my bouncers" Kang replied.

"So ask them" Alois said.

"Meiling?"

A beautiful and curvy Chinese woman who was also skimpily dressed walked forward and Kang whispered something in her ear.

"She'll go ask the bouncers" Kang said and Meiling walked away.

"She'll ask them? Why not you?" Alois asked.

"You seem to misunderstand the power of a woman. Especially a seductress like Meiling" Kang replied with his eyes shut.

Meiling returned after a few minutes and then whispered to Kang. Kang nodded and then glanced over at Alois and Claude.

"The bouncers didn't see anything" Kang reported.

"Well that's fairly convenient. You were closest to the scene yet nobody saw anything" Alois commented.

"Thank you for your cooperation" Claude stood.

"Wait, I'm not done!" Alois protested as Claude dragged him out to the cold.

"You're done for now" Claude said and then put Alois in the car.

He sat inside and locked the doors before Alois could escape.

"You can't pull me away in the middle of interrogation!" Alois leaned over to unlock his door.

His wrist was grabbed by Claude and Claude pressed his lips against Alois's. He held the blonde in place and then pushed his tongue into Alois's mouth. Alois's eyes fluttered shut as he went limp against the seat. Claude pulled away with a smirk and then drove away. Alois pouted, knowing that he had been thoroughly defeated. Claude always got his way.

They returned to the mansion to find Sebastian patiently feeding Ciel chicken soup.

"How are you feeling?" Alois asked.

"Much better, where did you guys go?" Ciel asked and Alois started.

"We went to-" "We just went out for some fresh air. It is rather stifling in the mansion these days" Claude said effectively cutting off Alois.

Alois looked up questioningly at Claude and then at Sebastian who pointed to the lampshade next to the bookcase. Alois took off his shoes and then crept across the room. He peeked under the lampshade and then spotted the little bug that had been attached there.

'Who's listening to our conversation?' Alois mouthed to the demons.

'Kang of course' Sebastian replied and Alois's fist clenched.

"Sebastian, get me more soup" Ciel said.

"Yes my lady, right away" Sebastian walked out of the room.

Ciel grabbed a notebook and pen from the table next to her bed. Alois began chatting about a movie that he saw in London to distract whoever was listening on the other end. Ciel wrote and then handed the notebook to Claude. Claude nodded and then stood up. He walked out of the room and then returned holding the reports on Kang's businesses.

'Why do you want those?' Alois mouthed and Ciel laughed.

'He's spying on me. All bets are off' She mouthed back before opening the first report.

"I'll go grab something to eat. Get well soon" Alois walked out of the room.

Ciel read the first report and then noted something down in her notebook. She read and read until she grew tired. She kept on writing in her notebook until the pages finished.

"That is all. Tell Sebastian to forget about the soup, I'm going to bed" Ciel said handing the reports back and then crawling under the covers.

"Yes my lady" Claude walked out of the room.

"The entire house has been bugged" Sebastian said in a voice too quiet for the bugs to hear.

"Should we deactivate them?" Claude asked his voice dropping in volume.

"We shouldn't. I don't want anything drastic to happen" Sebastian replied.

That night, everything was peaceful in the manor. Sebastian ran his slim fingers through Ciel's hair until she shifted awake.

"How are you feeling? Any pain?" He asked in concern.

"Just a headache. I need to sleep it off" Ciel replied, her voice thick.

"Go to sleep. You need it" Sebastian said.

"Sing to me. Until I fall asleep" Ciel said.

Sebastian sighed and then sang quietly.

_Star light, star bright,_

_The first star I see tonight;_

_I wish I may, I wish I might,_

_Have the wish I wish tonight._

Ciel had already fallen asleep before Sebastian had even finished. He smiled and then gathered her in his arms. He held her delicately but tightly like as if she would be snatched away from him in a second.

Alois awoke in his bedroom and then sat up. He just couldn't sleep tonight. He kept on having a bad feeling in his stomach since he found that bug in Ciel's room. He had found one in his own room as well. He stood up and then walked to the bathroom. He checked every nook and cranny but didn't find a bug anywhere.

He sighed in relief and then leaned against the tiled wall. His stomach was in knots and his heartbeat was getting faster and faster by the minute.

"Alois, are you alright?" Claude asked opening the door to the bathroom and then closing it behind him.

"Something bad is going to happen. I just know it" Alois replied and Claude sighed.

"Go back to bed Alois" Claude took Alois's hand and then proceeded to lead him out of the bathroom.

That was when they heard the police sirens. The doors of the manor were forcefully opened. Alois ran down the stairs and found a dozen special task force members standing in the front parlor.

"Alois Trancy and Ciel Phantomhive, you are under arrest" A voice shouted.

Alois suddenly saw his vision cloud up. He swayed and fell to the floor. Darkness caved around him.


	44. Chapter 44

"What am I under arrest for?" Ciel asked tiredly as she leaned back against the metal chair.

"For manufacturing drugs in your factories and murdering Park Ki Won, who discovered your entire operation. We received a tip off and when we arrived at one of your factories we found a too large amount of opium" Olivia, the officer in charge replied.

"I don't manufacture opium and you know that better than anyone. Also, I didn't even know this Park Ki Won until yesterday" Ciel said.

"Yet we found it"

"This is ridiculous. We've never done anything. I'd like to request some time for us to clear our names" Alois said.

"I hope two days are sufficient. However you two may not leave" Olivia said.

"But how are we supposed to clear our names then?" Alois asked exasperated and Ciel placed a hand on his arm willing him to calm down.

"We'll need three days. And we'll stay here. But you must allow us phone and Internet access" Ciel said.

"That's fine by me" Olivia said.

"Sebastian, Claude. I trust you both know what to do" Alois said.

Claude and Sebastian nodded. They left and Alois stood up to pace around the interrogation room.

"It is obvious that Kang has betrayed his side of the deal. But I didn't think he'd go to this extent" Sebastian said.

"He wishes to get Ciel and Alois out of the way so he can have the factories to manufacture his drugs. We need to stop him before that happens" Claude said.

"We need help. From Hannah and the triplets" Sebastian said.

They returned to the mansion. Luke ran to them the minute they entered the newly repaired front doors.

"Where's Alois? And Ciel? I saw the police take them away. Are they okay?" Luke was nearly in tears.

"Your brother and Ciel will be fine. They've just been caught into something that they shouldn't be caught in" Claude reassured the young boy.

"But why are you two here? You should be there with them!" Luke asked.

"We've got three days to prove them innocent. It's under the police orders that they can't leave the precinct" Sebastian replied.

"What are the crimes?" Hannah asked.

"Drug manufacturing in the factories" Sebastian replied.

"Which happened because Kang bit off more he could chew and now Ciel's getting the stomachache" Claude said.

"So we have to find a way to link Kang to this and prove that Ciel and Alois haven't done anything" Hannah said and the triplets nodded.

"So let's try and find some of Kang's gambling ring members. If we bribe them with enough then they'll be putty in our hands" Sebastian suggested.

They entered Kang's hideout which was located right in the basement. Sebastian wrinkled his nose as the fumes from the burning opium assaulted his already heightened senses.

"How can they live here?" Hannah asked covering her nose.

"They'll do anything for drugs. The more the craving, the lower you get until you're nothing worse than an animal" Claude replied his eyebrows twitching.

"Some of them are already out. Many of them are high" Sebastian commented.

"That one's having the cravings" Hannah pointed out.

They all glanced over at the wall where a teenage boy was chained to the wall. He was panting and sweating profusely. His green eyes were wide open and darting all over the place.

"Why did they chain him?" Claude asked stepping closer to the teenager.

"He must have been taking more drugs than the others. All of them are addicted but since he's a teenager, his body burns up the drugs faster. This is his punishment for taking more than anyone else" Sebastian replied.

"He's growing wild for the drugs" Hannah concluded.

"We can't give him any but he's a good witness" Claude said.

"Let's get him out of the chains. He'll try to run but he shouldn't get near any drugs" Sebastian said.

Claude and Sebastian went on either side of the teenager and then ripped off the chains. The teen fell to the floor but sprang up to his feet in an instant. His green eyes glanced at the door and he began to run. The triplets were immediately in front of the door and blocking his way.

The teen whirled around, his long blond hair flying through the air and ran to the stove of burning opium.

"Don't let him get that!" Sebastian darted forward and then rammed his fist right at the guy's head.

The teen fell, unconscious and he was thrown over Sebastian's shoulder. They all ran out of the building and back home. After tying the teen's wrist to the bedpost the demons regrouped in the kitchen.

"It might take longer than three days to get him to calm down from the cravings" Hannah pointed out.

"We have to try" Claude said.

A day passed. Sebastian called a doctor who attached IVs to the teen to restore his energy since he was severely dehydrated. At noon the next day, the teen seemed to be awake and alert.

"Yeah Kang's been showing off about getting Phantomhive off his back for months. He usually drinks a lot when he gambles and he's a rather talkative drunk"

"So, Andre, how did you get roped into Kang's gang?" Sebastian asked.

"I got hooked on the drugs when I was ten. At first it was just trading but then I caught a whiff of it when someone burnt the powder in front of me. I was gone by the first high" Andre replied running a hand through his blond hair.

"Do you think you could find evidence for us? We need to let Ciel and Alois off the hook" Luke asked.

"On one condition" Andre replied.

"What, you want money? How much?" Claude asked.

"I don't want money. I want your help. I want to stop using drugs but I don't have money for a rehab center or even to go back to school. I'm supposed to be a senior in high school but I left school when I was a freshman" Andre replied.

"Done. Now tell me where I can get the evidence" Sebastian said.

"In the main office, Kang holds many meetings with close friends. I am pretty sure everything's in there. There are CCTV cameras in there too. Grab the tapes" Andre instructed.

A few hours later, Sebastian crept into the basement. Kang wasn't here and Sebastian walked into the main office easily. He grabbed many record books and of course the tapes. He returned back and Claude slowly began to piece the information back together piece by piece.

Ciel sighed as she drummed her fingers against the stone wall. Alois was fast asleep beside her, his head lolling on her slender shoulder. It had been an entire day. Alois had fainted again during the night and had ended up being taken to the hospital. It turned out that he was fainting mostly because of stress. It was a sort of a mental stress and the doctor had given him drugs to help him sleep.

Ciel meanwhile couldn't get to sleep. She was tired, her body was aching and her throat was dry. She had taken the medicine Olivia had given her but sleep wouldn't come to her. Thoughts raced around in her mind. What was Sebastian doing? What was going on at the mansion? How was Luke holding up with the arrest? Had they found anything to clear their names or not?

"You have a visitor" Olivia said and Ciel looked up.

From behind Olivia stepped Arran. He was dressed in his traditional robes with his brown hair pulled back in a hair tie.

"You have fifteen minutes" Olivia said and she left the room.

"What are you doing here?" Ciel asked.

Arran shifted, his hand instinctively going to his belt to clutch where his sword usually was.

"Go on, laugh. Laugh at how this is the perfect situation for the girl who stomped all over your heart to be in" Ciel said her voice low.

"I'm not here to laugh at you" Arran said.

"Then why are you here?" Ciel asked.

"Because I'm the one who killed Park Ki Won"


	45. Chapter 45

"What did you just say?" Ciel asked, staring at Arran in shock.

"I killed Park Ki Won" Arran repeated and then looked away from Ciel.

"How did this happen? How did you wind up in this mess?" Ciel asked. Alois let out a snore.

"I'd rather have that officer hear my confession with you" Arran replied.

Ciel nodded and stood up. She laid Alois carefully on the floor and then pressed the button to summon Olivia.

"Are you ready to leave?" Olivia asked as she walked in.

"He has something to say to you" Ciel replied sitting down on a chair.

"I killed Park Ki Won" Arran said.

"You're not just saying this to save Ciel, are you?" Olivia asked.

"No, I'm not. I killed him. I threw him down and then pulled out my sword. I slashed at his arms, legs and then pointed my sword at his neck. I plunged my sword into his heart and then dragged him to the river bank. I broke the ice with a hammer I found from one of the vendor's booths and shoved him into the water. The ice froze quickly and I also smoothed out the snow to remove the evidence" Arran replied.

"Hang on, you slashed him with the sword? That wasn't mentioned in the Queen's letter" Ciel said.

"The autopsy was done after you received the letter" Olivia said.

"I didn't mean to kill him but I had to kill him" Arran said.

"I'll be right back" Olivia said. She turned and left the room.

"Why did you kill him? Did someone threaten you?" Ciel asked.

"My master is actually part of Kang's gambling group. He knew I had feelings for you and took advantage of that. They told me that they would kill you, Ciel. I couldn't let them do that so I played right into their hands and killed the person they wanted. I had no idea they would pin this on you" Arran replied.

"Arran, you have to start living life for yourself now. You shouldn't worry so much about me. Look where it's gotten you. I've got Sebastian and everyone else. I just hope Sebastian's found enough evidence to take the charges off you" Ciel said.

"I'm sorry. All I do is cause trouble for you and Sebastian" Arran said.

Ciel nodded and then turned to see Alois shifting awake. He ran a hand through his blond hair and stretched. Then he caught sight of Arran.

"What is he doing here?" Alois asked.

"Confessing" Ciel replied.

"Mate, how many times does a girl have to reject you? You know she's with Sebastian" Alois said.

"I'm here to confess my crime. I was the one who killed Park Ki Won" Arran said gritting his teeth.

"What? How did you get into this?" Alois asked and Arran began his explanation again.

"I didn't expect this to happen" Sebastian said as he increased the volume to hear the news report on Sky News.

"Arran Parker was responsible for Park Ki Won's murder? I didn't think he was capable to murder" Claude commented.

"We have evidence for Ciel and it's currently at the precinct. All we can do now is wait" Hannah said.

Back at the precinct, Olivia grinned as she read through the report. The servants of the Phantomhive manor were quite crafty if they could find evidence of their master and mistress's innocence.

"The charges of the drug manufacturing have been lifted. Let Ciel and Alois out" Olivia said and an officer went to fetch the two teens.

Ciel sighed in relief as she stood up and stretched. Sitting in this little holding cell had been terrible. Alois took her hand and they walked out. Ciel turned and then stared at Arran's bowed head.

"Arran, remember what I told you. Start living your life and forget about me. I'll only give you more trouble than what I'm worth" Ciel said making Arran look up.

She turned and then followed Alois to Olivia's office.

"Your servants have brought in tapes that show Kang giving orders to send opium to your factories and then calling the police to frame you. Also it shows him threatening Arran Parker that he would kill you if Arran didn't kill Park Ki Won. This will help Arran in court, he might even get away with a lighter sentence" Olivia said.

"So we're free to go?" Alois asked.

"You're free. The police car will take you back to the manor" Olivia said.

They returned home as fast as possible. Luke flung open the front door and threw himself into Alois's arms, sobbing.

"I'm home, Luke" Alois said holding his brother close.

"I thought you were going to leave me alone forever" Luke cried against Alois's chest.

"Sebastian?" Ciel looked up at the maroon eyed demon and felt tears trickle out of her eyes.

Sebastian held out his arms and Ciel ran to wrap her arms around him. She cried quietly against his chest and he ran his hand over her back in comfort.

"He killed someone for me. I can't believe he could be such a fool" Ciel cried.

"Love makes us into fools, Ciel" Sebastian said, holding Ciel tight against him.

"Come, you should shower and then eat something. Did you sleep?" Sebastian asked.

"I couldn't sleep. I need a shower, really badly" Ciel replied.

"Me too. I'm really hungry" Alois said from Claude's arms.

"I haven't eaten anything since last night. We'll all eat together, okay?" Luke said.

"Okay" Ciel walked up the stairs, assisted by Sebastian and then into her room.

She quickly stripped off her dirty clothes and stepped into the shower. After half an hour, they regrouped in the dining room. Sebastian switched on the TV to Sky News where they watched the recent news.

_The charges on Countess Phantomhive and Earl Trancy have been lifted in the light of new evidence brought in by Arran Parker who has confessed to being the murderer of Park Ki Won. Several recordings have also been brought in as evidence that it was in fact Kang Jin owner of Kang's Sushi restaurants all over the UK. Kang was earlier led out from his gambling base near the River Thames by New Scotland Yard. _

"Well that's the end of that" Alois said.

"When would the trial be?" Ciel asked.

"Possibly a month or two later" Claude guessed.

"I'm going to bed then. Goodnight" Alois stood up and placed his napkin next to his plate.

"Goodnight" Ciel and Luke chorused.

Alois left, hand in hand with Claude. Soon Luke finished his own dinner and Hannah took him off to bed. Ciel finished off with a glass of water and then stood up.

"Time for bed, my lady" Sebastian said.

He led Ciel up the stairs and then quickly changed her into a long loose tee. He removed her eye patch and then tucked her in bed.

"Goodnight" Ciel said.

Sebastian bent over and pressed his lips against hers. Ciel smiled against his lips and then turned her face to nestle into her pillow.

"Goodnight, Ciel"

Sebastian shut the lights and then closed the door quietly behind him.


	46. Chapter 46

"I didn't think you would decorate in here" Ciel said as she hung decorations on the tree in the Undertaker's shop.

"Well it does brighten the room somewhat" Undertaker said with a giggle.

Alois held his tongue from commenting that the decorations made the shop look even drearier than it already was.

"I find it quite nice. I absolutely adore Christmas especially all the red color" Grell said.

The red haired reaper himself was dressed in red skinny jeans and a black shirt. He had cut his lustrous red hair until it was shoulder length and tied up in a high ponytail.

"What made you cut your hair off, Grell Sutcliffe?" Sebastian asked.

"It wasn't me! William did it on purpose! He said he was being clumsy. Clumsy my foot! His stupid scythe slashed my hair until it was up to my elbows. I got horrible split ends after a week so I cut it off" Grell replied.

"He avoided me for a week because he thought I wouldn't like his news hairstyle. How many times do I have to tell you that I love you for yourself" Undertaker said airily.

"How sweet" Ciel said and Alois sent her a surprised look.

"Now, what are we doing for Christmas? Any plans?" Undertaker asked.

"We were planning to have a lazy day in bed. Then in the afternoon, we're going to watch A Christmas Carol at the theatre. No plans for the night" Ciel replied.

"How about you have dinner here? Grell's a great cook and he always makes food even though both of us don't eat. The food ends up at the orphanage next door" Undertaker said.

"We'd love to" Ciel said ignoring Alois's rapidly shaking head at her answer.

"See you then!"

They left the shop and then returned home.

"Why did you have to accept the stupid invitation? I don't want to go to his freaky shop" Alois complained.

"You can stay home then. He's my old boss and a great friend" Ciel said.

"Fear of the unknown again" Claude said to Sebastian who chuckled.

Ciel climbed up the stairs and into her study. She descended down to the secret study and then began writing in her journal. Sebastian came down with tea and then left her alone with her writing. Luke meanwhile was busy wrapping presents. All of his presents were paintings that he done secretly at school and they were currently being wrapped in plastic by the triplets. Alois also was busy arranging the presents under the tree.

On Christmas morning, Ciel woke up in Sebastian's arms.

"Why do you insist on wearing clothes after we have sex?" Ciel asked.

"A habit I suppose" Sebastian replied.

Ciel reached out and began unbuttoning his shirt. She ran her hands over his chest and then leaned up to kiss him. Their lips moved against each other, lazily. The door burst open and Ciel let out a shriek of surprise.

"It's Christmas! Come on, let's open the presents!" Luke shouted before running off to the opposite side of the hallway to wake up Alois.

"There goes our lazy morning in bed" Sebastian said and Ciel chuckled.

She dressed in her robe and then walked down the stairs for breakfast.

"I wanna open the presents!" Luke whined and a biscuit was shoved into his mouth.

"You have to wait until we're done, you hyperactive kid" Alois said.

Luke bounced in his seat anxiously. Then Ciel finally gave up.

"Let's just open the presents already" she said.

Luke jumped up and ran towards the tree. Presents were quickly exchanged and unwrapped. Ciel reached over and hugged Alois when she found he had given her a new leather-bound journal. An exquisite set of calligraphy pens was the present that Claude had given her. The triplets and Hannah had given her a box full of CDs of music they had collected all over the world ranging from modern music to old school music.

"This is awesome!" Alois said holding up a pure white sweater that Hannah and twins had given him.

"The white makes your blue eyes stand out, master" Hannah said with a smile.

"I'll have all the paintings hung in the front hall" Sebastian said referring to the portraits Luke had made as presents for everyone.

"This looks like..."

Everyone turned to Ciel who had just unwrapped her gift from Sebastian. Her uncovered eye was open in shock and she was staring at the ring in her hand.

"I remember that ring. But it was a long time ago" Alois said crawling over to sit himself down next to Ciel.

"This looks like the Phantomhive family ring. Where did you find it?" Ciel asked looking up at Sebastian.

"The ring hasn't been seen since Victor Phantomhive died. Where in the world did you find it?" Claude asked.

"I was the one who took it from Victor Phantomhive" Sebastian replied.

"You took it? Why?" Alois asked.

"I wanted something to remember my master by. But now it should be returned to its rightful owner" Sebastian replied.

Ciel looked down at the ring in her hand and then clenched her fist. She stood up and walked out of the room.

"Ciel? Where are you going?" Alois asked but Ciel ignored him.

She walked down the stairs to the secret study room. There she stood in front of the portrait of Ciel Phantomhive.

"I now understand what you meant by this ring. Holding it is bittersweet. There's the happiness you get by owning it and being the head of the Phantomhive family. But then there are the deaths of the people who wore this ring. I can feel the pain of Sebastian taking your soul and the last breath you took as you died. I can feel the tears of Elizabeth as the casket containing your body was lowered to the ground. I can taste the confusion of Victor Phantomhive when he wore this ring because you weren't there to show him what this ring meant" Ciel looked up at her ancestor.

Ciel's smirk seemed to have faded away as he gazed down at her from the portrait.

"I finally feel the pain you felt. I promise you, I won't continue this family line. We're cursed and no one deserves to suffer like the way we have. I know what I'm saying is foolish but it's what I think is right. You wanted to avoid Elizabeth's pregnancy because you didn't want anyone after you to suffer. But you didn't succeed. I'll finish what you started. The Phantomhive family line will end with me. It's over"

Ciel smiled wide and then bowed low before the portrait. She felt arms wrap around her and she leaned back against Sebastian's chest.

"That's quite a painful promise you've made" he commented.

"I know. I'm finishing what he tried to stop" Ciel said.

They held each other silently just as a knock sounded on the door.


	47. Chapter 47

"My name is Frasier Schubert. I am the butler to His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales" The unfamiliar person seated on their couch said.

"Prince Charles? It's surprising to find you here on Christmas morning" Ciel said.

"Prince Charles had sent me on behalf of Her Majesty. It is in this letter here" Frasier handed over the letter.

"Thank you" Ciel said glancing down at the letter.

"I shall take my leave then" Frasier stood up.

"I'll escort you out" Claude said leading the way out.

"So what does this letter say?" Alois asked.

"This might be a difficult mission. A college student has gone missing for the past three days. He's a foreign exchange student from USA. The American embassy is throwing a fit over this. We need to find this guy before the relations between UK and US get any worse" Ciel said.

"Okay let's start investigating" Alois said rubbing his hands together.

"Claude and Alois find the bank statements of this guy and look through his activity for anything suspicious. Sebastian and Luke go to the college and ask his roomies when they last saw him of another details you find necessary" Ciel said.

Claude and Alois hurried off while Luke headed out to the car.

"What are you going to do?" Sebastian asked.

"Going to visit someone" Ciel replied.

Sebastian ducked into his car and then watched Ciel drive away. She had got her driving license she had been sixteen but had never used it. Sebastian drove towards the college dorms and they grabbed passes at the front desk.

"Are any of Dave's roommates in?" Sebastian asked.

"He only has one roommate who's upstairs right now" The woman at the front desk replied.

They headed upstairs and then entered Dave's room. His roommate was lying down on the bed with his eyes shut.

"Oi, mate, wake up" Luke said and the guy sat up instantly.

"What do you want?" he asked rudely.

"We're investigating the disappearance of your roomie. Actually, it's surprising that he hasn't been here for three days and yet you didn't report him missing" Sebastian replied.

All the fight drained out of the guy. He clasped his hands together and then looked up at Sebastian.

"He always does that. He disappeared for a couple of days and then comes back. But this is the first time he disappeared for three days" He said.

Luke noted the shaking of the guy's hands and the abnormal perspiration. He sniffed delicately and his eyes widened.

"Don't be scared of us, mate. We won't destroy you. Just tell us what you know" Luke said.

"It was three months ago since Arjun started disappearing for a couple of days. He doesn't really tell us where he goes. Also three months ago there was a raid done in one of the parties that we all attended" The guy's hands shook violently and he looked back down to the wooden floors.

Ciel parked outside the precinct. She got out and walked straight inside.

"Good morning, Ciel. He's waiting for you" Olivia said.

Ciel smiled and then sat down in the interrogation room. A couple of minutes later, Kang walked and sat down opposite her. His face was gaunt and pale while his eyes had dark circles around them.

"How's life in prison treating you?" Ciel asked.

"It is rather lackluster here. All you see are stone walls and the ringing of telephones" Kang replied.

"Since you betrayed me, I've decided to ask the questions you always refused answering. Who used to supply your drugs?"

Kang laughed, "Now that I've been caught, Countess, I'm out of the drug circle. I don't know who's taken my place or if the suppliers have changed. As you know, there have been many drug raids over the past eight months. The dealers are very careful now and it'll be even harder to catch them".

"So you're saying I won't be able to find them?" Ciel asked.

"Unless you have someone in the inner circle then it's impossible to do anything to them" Kang replied.

"That's all I need to know. Thanks" Ciel stood and walked out of the precinct.

She returned to the manor where everyone had already regrouped. She sat down on the couch and listened to what Luke and Sebastian had to say.

"I'm pretty sure that guy does drugs. He was acting like the way Andre does when he doesn't have drugs" Luke said.

"His pupils were rather dilated as well. Maybe Dave does drugs too" Sebastian said.

"What did you guys find out?" Ciel asked Claude and Alois.

"Well, Dave takes out a lot of money from his father's account. It's withdrawn and spent. If Sebastian suspects Dave taking drugs then maybe the large amount of money is spent on drugs" Alois said.

"How much money?" Ciel asked.

"It varies between £80000 to £100000" Claude replied.

"That does prove the drug theory right but we need more evidence. Call in Dave's best friends from the college" Ciel said.

Dave's friends were a rather nervous bunch. The three young men were named Chris, Aziz and Harry. Chris was Irish with blond hair and green eyes. Aziz was Arabian with brown eyes and black hair. Harry was a brunette with blue eyes.

"So when did you guys start taking drugs?" Ciel asked staring at all three of them.

"I swear, we've stopped taking drugs" Aziz said.

"The shaking of your hands and your prespiration says otherwise. Currently, your trial is still going on in court. Now tell me. Where do you guys get these drugs?" Ciel asked again.

"At college parties. There's usually some held every two weeks and drug dealers come to give drugs to us" Chris replied.

"So where does your friend Dave fit into this? Did you guys corrupt him and make him take drugs?" Ciel asked.

"No, Dave never took any drugs. He just gave us money to organise the parties" Aziz said.

"Dave never took drugs? Then why organise the parties?" Alois asked.

"For Angelea" Harry spoke up.

"Who's Angelea?"

"She's a dancer who performs at college parties. Three months ago we took Dave to his first party. He saw Angelea dancing there and fell in love. He gives money for the parties and just comes to see her dance. He went crazy for her" Chris replied.

"So was Angelea taken with him?" Ciel asked.

"She found him a pain. She doesn't care that he loves her. All she cares about is money and the drugs" Aziz replied.

"So when was the last party done?"

"Three nights ago. I saw Dave go after Angelea after her performance. Then after that, I didn't see him again" Chris replied.

"Then we need to find Angelea" Alois concluded.

"We don't need to find her. She'll come to us. We need to organize a party of our own" Ciel said.

"But the drug dealers background check everyone who organizes a party" Aziz said.

"Sebastian, make an ID that is airtight and no dealer will know it's fake. Also, enroll Alois into Dave's college. Use Facebook to invite everyone" Ciel said.

"Why do I have to enroll?" Alois asked.

"Because you're the one who looks most like a first year college student. You just need to make an appearance at this party" Ciel replied.

The plan was set. Alois dressed in casual blue skinny jeans and a red shirt. He had styled his hair into a more casual style. By the time he arrived to the party it was already in full swing. He wandered around for a while and then caught sight of Ciel. She had dressed in mini shorts and a fitted black tee shirt. Her black leather boots glowed in the dim lighting. Her hoodie was pulled right over her face and her blue uncovered eye scanned the guests carefully.

Then a woman with long silky black hair came onto the dance floor. She was dressed in gold lame shorts and a pink sleeveless top. She danced along to the music attracting the attention of many of the guys. Ciel gritted her teeth as Angelea danced gracefully. After the song was over, she made her way over.

"Hey" Angelea turned around and Ciel smirked.

"My friend wants to see you. He'll pay whatever you want" Ciel said.

Angelea smirked. "Money is like dust on the floor. Don't let it rule you".

Ciel frowned and then turned around to leave the dance floor. Alois held his breath and police burst into the room. In an instant people began to run away. Angelea looked around just in time to see Ciel throw off her hoodie and pull out the gun. Ciel smirked and aimed the gun right at her.

Angelea looked around wildly and Ciel ran towards her. Angelea kicked her heel towards the bar and hit one of the alcohol bottles. Ciel's eyes widened and she froze when she saw the flames behind the bar.

_"Ciel, get out of here!" _

_"I'm not leaving without you, Mom!" _

_"I'm right behind you, Ciel. Just run!" _

Ciel fell to her knees and the gun clattered to the floor. The flames came closer and closer but she made no move to get up.

"CIEL!"

**I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Enjoy the latest chapter and mission of the Dog and the Spider. Alot of revelations coming up. Enjoy and don't forget to review!**

**Onyxinlife**


	48. Chapter 48

"What were you thinking? At least Sebastian grabbed you or you could have been seriously injured" Alois said and Ciel bit her lip.

"I remembered that night" Ciel said quietly and Alois sighed.

"So who do we have here?" Sebastian asked looking down at the Brazilian man seated on the chair.

"His name's Jackal. He was the drug dealer in the party that I caught" Alois replied.

"So, Angelea's working for you?" Ciel asked Jackal.

"No, I work for Angelea. She supplies me with drugs and I hand it around in parties" Jackal replied.

"So you should have been at the party three days ago. Do you recognize this guy?" Ciel held up a photo of Dave.

"Yeah I know this guy. He was at the party three days ago" Jackal replied.

"What happened at the party?" Ciel asked and Jackal began to narrate what had happened.

_"Angelea, hold on a sec!" _

_Jackal rolled his eyes. That Dave kid just wouldn't get the message. Angelea didn't care about him at all. _

_"You again? Look, just stay away from me. I don't have time for a kid like you" Angelea said. _

_"What's your problem, Angelea? So what if I have feelings for you? I really like you" Dave said. _

_Then Angelea's phone rang. _

_"Hello? Yeah, one minute. I'll be right there" Angelea sent a shrewd smile at Dave before leaving. _

"And then what? You followed Angelea right?" Ciel asked.

"I wasn't the only one to follow Angelea. Dave followed her as well" Jackal replied.

_"Angelea, wait!" Dave said. _

_Angela whirled around and the man who was with her turned as well. The man lifted up a gun and aimed it right at Dave. Jackal stiffened and then leaned back out of sight. Before the man could do anything, Angelea aimed her gun and fired at Dave. The bullet hit him right in the chest. Dave fell over, unconscious. _

_"You go on ahead, boss. I'll take care of this" Angelea said. _

"So what happened to you after Dave died?" Ciel asked.

"I went back into the party and never asked Angelea about it. I would be throwing my neck out" Jackal replied.

"So where can we find Angelea? You would probably know her day job" Alois asked.

"She dances at a hotel. Every week"

After Jackal was placed under observation by the police, Ciel and Sebastian decided to pay a visit to the hotel where Angelea danced.

"Yes Angelea worked in the hotel bar but for the past three weeks she hasn't been showing up" The hotel manager, Albert said.

"Can we have her home address then?" Ciel asked.

Albert nodded and printed out the address.

"Thank you" Ciel said.

They all went to the apartment which was obviously locked.

"Claude, would you mind knocking the door down?" Alois asked.

Claude did so and they entered the apartment. They quickly began searching until Alois received a phone call.

"Officer Tanner is calling me. He has the reports of the raid done three months ago" Alois said.

"We'll finish up the search here then. You guys can go" Ciel said.

Alois and Claude left. Ciel continued looking through the drawers until she found a handwritten letter hidden inside a book. Sebastian looked through the files and then found her bank statements.

"Would you take a look at this?" Sebastian asked and Ciel glanced over at the bank statement.

"She pays her bills online? So what?"

"When you pay bills online, you don't get a receipt like this" Sebastian said pulling out a receipt.

"Which means she has another apartment somewhere else that she's paying rent for. We need to go there. But first there's something else that I want you to see"

Ciel held up the letter and Sebastian read through it. It looked like an ordinary letter.

"This letter came from France. It must have taken at least a week to be delivered but it's dated with today's date" Ciel said.

"So you think it's a code?"

"Yes. Look at this" Ciel began folding the paper and then held up the letter.

"So today at 8:30pm at Kings Cross there will be a drug dealers meeting of some sort" Ciel said.

"Ingenious" Sebastian commented.

They returned to the mansion. Alois and Claude were reading through the report that Officer Tanner had given them.

"Tanner is head of drugs and narcotics so he was the one who conducted the raid. He said he fired four shots into the air but he caught a drug dealer named Abdul. They confiscated drugs worth a million pounds" Alois said.

"There's a drug dealer's meeting at 8:30 tonight. Who wants to join me?" Ciel asked.

"I will" Claude said quickly.

"Luke, Sebastian and I will go to this second address that Angelea's paying rent for" Alois said.

"Let's go then, Claude" Ciel stood up.

They headed to King's Cross which was rather quiet for a Wednesday night. Ciel pulled her hoodie over her face and sat down on a bench to wait. Claude kept an ear out for any disturbances.

"On platform nine, there are at least five people there" Claude reported.

"Let's go then" Ciel stood up and then they crept over to platform 9.

She pulled out her gun and cocked it. The click echoed around the area making the drug dealers look around in caution. Ciel spotted Angelea and to her surprise the hotel manager, Albert.

"We're gonna scram" Two of the dealers ran off.

Ciel shot towards them and one of them fell to the ground. The other ran off. Claude jumped out from behind her and shot at Albert who ducked out of the way. Angelea began to run and Ciel gave chase.

"You're not getting away again" Ciel said shooting at Angelea.

Angelea whirled around and kicked her leg up, surprising Ciel. The gun fell from her hands and Ciel curled her hands into fists, ready to fight. Ciel punched Angelea who ducked and kicked at Ciel's legs. Angelea grabbed Ciel's gun and aimed it at her. Ciel froze and Angelea pulled on the trigger. Ciel ducked and the shot was fired.

Ciel stood and then turned. Angelea had shot Albert who had been coming to attack Ciel from behind. Angelea seemed to have frozen which Ciel took advantage of. She grabbed the gun back and aimed it right at Angelea.

"Ciel, stop! She's an officer!" Alois shouted.

Ciel furrowed her eyebrows and lowered the gun.

"How did you guys find out she's an officer?" Ciel asked after they all returned to the mansion.

"We went to that other address that she was paying rent for. We found Dave there. Imagine the shock we had when we saw he wasn't dead. He told us that she had shot him with a fake bullet and then hid him in that other apartment until she could arrange a safe flight back to the UK for him" Luke explained.

"I wasn't going to kill a civilian. And you" Angelea turned to Ciel. "You ruined my entire undercover mission. Eight months of work to get into the inner circle and you flushed it down the drain".

"I don't regret it either" Ciel bit back and Angelea glared at her.

"So how come you don't know who supplies the drugs yet?" Alois asked.

"When you're dealing drugs, you only know your boss and no one else. Just a few days and I could have been at the top" Angelea said.

"So now what?" Ciel asked.

"There's no link to who can be supplying the drugs" Angelea said but then she snapped her fingers. "No there is one link. Abdul".

"Abdul's dead. He died in the raid three months ago" Alois pointed out.

"Tanner said that there were four air shots fired and then they had confiscated the drugs from Abdul. Abdul died a few hours later" Ciel said.

"But as far as I remember, there were only three air shots fired. Where did the fourth come from?" Dave spoke up for the first time in Ciel's presence.

"There were no drugs in Tanner's possession after the raid. That's what he told me" Angelea said.

"Are you sure there were only three shots?" Ciel asked.

"Yeah and Angelea said there were no drugs found according to Tanner" Dave replied.

"Which means Tanner killed Abdul and took the drugs with him" Ciel said.

"Tanner is head of narcotics and part of the police. I doubt he would take drugs for his own profit. Something must have happened to the drugs" Angelea said.

"The drugs were worth a lot of money. They wouldn't just disappear" Ciel said.

"You're nuts, there's no way Tanner would involve himself into drug dealing" Angelea said.

"I might be nuts but I'm right. Claude, tap into Tanner's phone. Since this problem of Albert has risen up, Tanner will want to get rid of those drugs immediately" Ciel said.

Claude nodded and began to track the phone.

"He's on call with someone" Claude said and Tanner's voice began floating around the room.

"Yeah, I have them with me but I need to get rid of them quickly. Nakashima wants them" Tanner said.

There were a few minutes of silence and Tanner spoke again.

"Fine, today at two. Don't be late" The connection was cut.

"Today at two he's giving the drugs over. We need to catch him before that" Ciel said.

"Is she rarely ever wrong?" Angelea asked to no one in particular.

"She's never wrong" Luke piped up.

As soon as Tanner's phone was tracked, they followed him all the way to an abandoned police training facility. Ciel held her gun at the ready as she crept through the grounds. She stayed bent down away from sight. Alois was right opposite her and Claude was right at the entrance ready to report. Sebastian was all the way across the area looking for any drug dealer coming in.

"So you're proficient with a gun? I didn't expect a rich person like you to play with guns" Angelea said as she crouched down next to Ciel.

"You're the one who told me that money is dust on the floor. I think the same" Ciel replied and Tanner came into view with another person.

"You got the drugs?" The other guy was tanned and had a fit body. His blond hair shone silver in the sun and Ciel noted the ice blue eyes.

"Here" Tanner held out a bag to the blond man.

At that moment, Sebastian shot with deadly accuracy at the ground below the bag. Tanner let go of the bag and jumped back as did the blond man. The blond began running away and Tanner began running as well. Ciel jumped out and shot at Tanner who ducked to avoid the shot.

Then Tanner turned and held his gun up at Ciel. Angelea ran forward and kicked the gun out of his hands. Tanner smirked and punched Angelea right in the jaw. He grabbed her gun and held it up to Angelea's head, pointed right at the temple.

"Let me leave and she won't die" Tanner said.

"Angelea, where does money belong?" Ciel asked.

Angelea understood and elbowed Tanner in the stomach. She threw herself onto the floor and Ciel shot at Tanner's leg.

"It's finally over" Alois said, dragging over the blond man.

A week later, Ciel stood outside the court of justice with Sebastian. She glared at Tanner as he walked up the steps for his trial. Just then, a man bumped into Tanner and Ciel narrowed her eyes at Tanner's smiling face. He stopped right before her and spoke.

"Malik bids you welcome and bids me farewell"

Tanner ate something and Ciel's eyes widened. She grabbed his collar just as he swallow and fell to the floor.

"Who is Malik? Where is he? Tell me!" Ciel screamed and Tanner went still, dead.

Ciel let go of Tanner's collar and let out a scream of frustration.

**I'm not really satisfied with this chapter because I feel it was rather rushed. What do you guys think?**


	49. Chapter 49

"He said Malik. Who in the world is Malik?" Alois asked as he watched Claude dust the bookshelves.

"Obviously it is a person" Claude pointed out.

"Ciel's asleep" Sebastian said walking into the room.

"She finally got to sleep after tossing and turning?" Alois asked.

"It seems so. She went and did some boxing down in the gym to let out her frustration" Sebastian replied.

"She must be pretty angry. Her only lead to the head of drug circle is now dead" Alois said.

"Malik is obviously a code for something. Maybe Ciel understands the code" Claude said.

"I do know it" Ciel said from where she was leaning against the doorway.

"Hey, C, did you sleep?" Alois asked.

"Couldn't sleep, had a nightmare" Ciel replied.

She walked into the room and curled up on the couch. Sebastian sat down beside her and took her into his arms.

"So who's Malik?" Alois asked.

"I don't know that but what Tanner said to me, I've heard someone else say it a long time ago" Ciel replied.

"Who? When?" Sebastian asked.

"The night of the fire. I was only ten years old..."

_"Ciel, honey, could you get the phone for me? I need to check on the chicken" Terri asked. _

_"Sure, mum" _

_Ciel raced out to the hallway and picked up the phone. She held it up to her ear and said hello. There was someone breathing heavily into the phone. _

_"Hello? Who is this?" Ciel asked. _

_"Ciel? Who's on the phone?" Terri asked as she poked her head out of the kitchen. _

_"Malik sends you his greetings and your parents his goodbyes" the call was cut off. _

_Ciel froze and turned around. _

_"Mum!" _

_There was a scream and the kitchen exploded. Ciel ran into the kitchen with her hand covering her mouth and nose to try and find her mother. There was another explosion from upstairs and Ciel glanced up at the ceiling. _

_"Dad..." _

_"Ciel, help me!" _

_Ciel ran towards her mother and pushed the collapsed table off her mother. She grabbed her mother's hand and dragged her out of the kitchen. By the time they got out, the fire had already reached the front parlor. _

_"Ciel, where's your father?" Terri asked. _

_"I don't know, mum. Let's just get out of here" Ciel replied. _

_Just then a support beam cracked and fell right behind Terri. _

_"Ciel, get out of here!" _

_"I'm not leaving without you, Mom!" _

_"I'm right behind you, Ciel. Just run!" _

"The fire happened right after I got that call. I never found out who called or where the call came from. It was the same name, Malik. Malik killed my parents. When I heard the name again from Tanner, I felt rage like never before. The lead was right there in front of me and in an instant it was gone" Ciel hugged her knees to her chest.

"We need to find this Malik" Alois said.

"How? It might be a name of person, place or it could even be a fake name" Claude asked.

"If it's used more than twice, it isn't a fake name" Sebastian pointed out.

"Isn't Malik an Arabic name?" Alois asked.

"It means 'king' or 'ruler'" Sebastian replied.

"Just forget it. I don't think we can find this guy" Ciel said.

"We can try" Alois said.

"No we shouldn't. Malik is dangerous. He burnt my house with my parents in it to the ground. He might even be watching us right now" Ciel said.

"Fine, we won't look for him. Because the great Countess Phantomhive is too afraid to look for him" Alois said.

"Alois..." Claude's voice trailed off as Ciel's eyes filled with tears.

"Yes I am afraid of him. Because if he could kill my parents, he could kill you and Luke too. I don't want to lose anyone anymore" Ciel ran out of the room.

"That was uncalled for" Sebastian said to Alois before following Ciel out of the room.

"Arghhhh!" Alois punched the wall with his fist.

"Sometimes, you should not let your anger cloud your judgment" Claude said.

"I know. I should go apologise" Alois said.

"Later. Let her be comforted by Sebastian first" Claude wrapped his arms around Alois.

Ciel curled up under the blankets in her room. She shivered as she remembered the fire and charred bodies of her parents.

"Ciel, are you in here?" Sebastian asked.

"Go away. I don't want to see anyone" Ciel replied and Sebastian ripped the blanket off her.

"Not even me?"

"Fine you can stay. But only because you give great hugs" Ciel replied pouting.

Sebastian chuckled and lifted Ciel into a sitting position like a rag doll. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Ciel sighed and closed her eyes. The front door suddenly burst open and Ciel jumped.

"Who in the world is that?" Sebastian wondered.

Downstairs, the triplets were in their fighting stances ready to defend against this unknown stranger.

"Who is it?" Alois asked walking down the stairs with Claude.

"You? What are you doing here?" Ciel asked from behind Alois.

Angelea sighed. "Believe me, I would be anywhere but here".

"So leave" Alois said.

"I can't. I've been ordered by my boss to join you on missions" Angelea said.

"No way would the Queen allow it. The missions are for us to solve and are completely confidential until Her Majesty releases it to the public" Ciel said.

"I have a letter from my boss confirming this" Angelea said. She shuffled the things in her bag and then handed the letter to Ciel.

"You can stay but I'll need to write to the Queen about this. If she gives the all clear then you can help on missions" Ciel said after reading the letter.

"Right this way, madam" Claude said taking Angelea's bags.

"I suppose chivalry isn't really dead" Angelea said with a wink towards Claude.

"It's not chivalry, it's his job" Alois snapped and Angelea frowned.

"Relax" Ciel placed a hand on Alois's shoulder.

"It's nearly time for dinner. I should go start the preparations" Sebastian walked away.

"Listen, Ciel. I'm sorry for what I said. I know you're scared of Malik. Everyone is afraid of someone. I just... I'm really sorry" Alois bowed his head.

Ciel smiled and hugged Alois. "It's okay, A"

Alois grinned and hugged his best friend. Ciel ruffled the back of his head and they let go of each other.

"Wanna go bug Sebby in the kitchen?" Alois asked and Ciel nodded.

They both raced off to the kitchen where Hannah and Sebastian were hard at work. Ciel snatched one of the freshly baked cookies from the plate and handed it to Alois. Alois broke it in half and handed half to Ciel.

"Naughty teenagers should not be in the kitchens" Hannah said, amused at their antics.

Ciel grabbed another cookie before Hannah could snatch the plate away. She ate it up quickly and then sat down. Alois began chatting away about his group's musical number and Ciel's thoughts turned to Arran. She wondered how his trial would go and her thoughts turned to Malik.

Then an idea struck her. Everyone in the inner circle probably knew who Malik was. All she had to do was find a person who was in the inner circle and she would be able to find who Malik was.

"Stop thinking about it and relax for a bit" Sebastian whispered to Ciel as he passed her.

She nodded and then turned to Alois and Hannah's conversation. Sebastian smiled but then observed Ciel quietly out of the corner of his eye. She wasn't as happy as she normally would be. She was quieter and every now and then she would space out and then shake herself out of the stupor.

Sebastian's fist clenched. He wanted to kill Malik, whoever he was for hurting Ciel this much.

_Wherever you are Malik, I hope you die a slow painful death. _

**I didn't realize that I would get more than 200 reviews for this story. Thank you! I enjoyed the reviews on how readers want Ciel and Sebby to marry and have a kid. I will try to see it happening but right now I'm focusing on the missions and the climax of the story. **

**Keep reviewing.**

**Onyxinlife**


	50. Chapter 50

"That freaking bitch!" Alois grumbled as he stomped into Ciel's study.

"Who?" Ciel asked writing away at a document.

"Angelea, that's who! She keeps making eyes at Claude like as if he's her little boy toy. She even touched his shoulder before sashaying her skinny ass out of the room. She's so full of herself. Doesn't she know Claude's gay and he belongs to me?"

"Well, she doesn't because all Claude does is ignore her and you haven't revealed your relationship to the public yet" Sebastian replied.

"Not helping, Sebby" Alois threw himself onto the chair in front of Ciel's desk.

"Sebby?" Sebastian furrowed his eyebrows.

"Claude won't be so easily swayed by Angelea. She might look tough but she'll give up sooner or later" Ciel said looking up from her documents, her new wire rimmed glasses glinting in the sunlight.

"The specs make you look like a librarian" Alois said, distracted from the subject at hand.

"They're for reading only. I wouldn't wear them all the time" Ciel said looking back down.

"They make you look quite distinguished" Sebastian commented, dropping a kiss on Ciel's forehead before dusting the shelves.

"Back to the matter at hand. The bitch wants my man" Alois said.

"Your man won't be taken by her. He's so stoic and emotionless, she'll tire eventually" Ciel said.

"I don't like her hands on him" Alois complained.

"Tell that to Claude" Sebastian said.

During lunch, Ciel could see how tense Alois was. His eyes would flicker from Claude and Angelea every few minutes.

"Claude, come to my room after a few minutes" Alois said. He stood and walked out of the room.

Ciel followed him out with her eyes and then glared at Angelea who was trying to catch Claude's attention by flipping her hair over her shoulder or giggling to herself. Claude excused himself and then walked to Alois's room.

Alois paced in his room. His head was pounding and his hands were shaking. He was trying his best to control the anger that was coursing through him but there was a voice telling him to let it all out. Scream until the windows broke. Scream until all the energy of his body gave out. Alois clenched his fists just as the door opened and Claude stepped inside.

"You called me, master?"

"Don't call me that!" Alois screamed.

He turned around with his hand aloft and it hit Claude's cheek. Claude's expression didn't change. Alois's eyes widened as he stared at his own hand as if it was something foreign.

"I didn't mean to do that. I swear" Alois said.

The red hand print of Claude's face quickly faded but Claude just straightened his glasses before staring at Alois with an unreadable expression on his face.

"What has brought this about?" he asked.

"I hate her. I hate the way she hangs over you. I hate the way she flirts with you. I absolutely hate that she doesn't have anything else to do except ogle at you" Alois replied bitterly.

"And why do you hate her?" Claude asked.

"Because you belong to me and she wants to take you away" Alois replied.

"Do you think I will be taken away that easily? I throw away all these years of waiting for you and enjoy a simple tryst with a silly woman who cannot control herself? I am not foolish, Alois. If I just wanted to leave you in the end, why would I even come to serve you patiently for the twelve years of your life?" Claude asked.

Alois now felt inexplicably guilty. He had forgotten how much Claude had sacrificed just to start their relationship and now Alois was ruining it with his silly problems and insecurities.

"I'm sorry. I forgot about all of that" Alois replied quietly.

"She means nothing to me, Alois. You mean everything to me" Claude wrapped his arm around the blond.

"You mean the world to me Claude. I'm sorry" Alois leaned his head against Claude's shoulder.

"I simply want to devour all of you, Alois" Claude whispered, making Alois shiver in excitement.

Soon enough mouths were being plundered, hands wandering, clothes ripped off from their bodies. Alois closed his eyes tight as Claude slowly entered him. Claude paused, letting Alois adjust and then Alois nodded. Claude began moving faster and Alois moaned in pleasure.

"I love you, Claude. I love you so much" Alois said, his tears streaming in pleasure and pain.

"You are mine, forever" Claude growled.

Alois gasped as he tipped over the edge. Claude came a minute later and they both collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion.

"I need to get back to work" Claude said.

He stood and dressed quickly. Alois suddenly sat up and then beckoned him closer. Alois first kissed Claude's lips and then kissed the side of Claude's neck.

"What are you doing?" Claude asked and then felt the painless sting of teeth biting his neck.

"Now she'll know you're taken and never bother you again. Don't let her see it now. Maybe tomorrow morning" Alois replied, pulling away.

Claude reached out and touched the love bite. He smirked as the bite healed almost immediately.

"I believe that won't work. Demons heal rather fast" Claude pointed out.

"Only if they want it to heal. Sebby's been teaching me a lot about demons" Alois said with a smile.

"You'll have to give me another one then" Claude said smirking.

"Come here" Alois said crooking his finger.

After a few minutes they both laid panting on the bed, exhausted.

"You got dressed again for nothing" Alois said taking Claude's hand.

"I should go" Claude said.

"Hannah and the triplets will handle your duties for tonight. Stay with me? Please?" Alois asked batting his lashes.

"Fine" Claude wrapped his arms around Alois who squealed in happiness.

Ciel sighed as she finished off the last document of the night. She stretched and then folded away the files for Sebastian to put away.

"Going to bed?" Sebastian asked entering the room with a tea laden tray.

"Yeah, I'm exhausted" Ciel replied.

"Tomorrow, both of you have the rehearsals with your respective groups" Sebastian said as he followed Ciel down the hallways.

"Yeah, Arran's got bail for now so we can rehearse the song" Ciel replied.

"Goodnight, Ciel" Sebastian said.

Ciel nodded and then tucked herself under the covers. Sebastian turned off the lights and then closed the door softly. He walked along the hallway and then stopped. Someone was still awake in the manor. He closed his eyes and listened carefully. Hannah was in her room reading. The triplets were outside in the gardens, doing their usual patrols. Claude was in Alois's room. Sebastian eyes shot open as he realized the intruder was in Ciel's study.

He walked quickly to the study and then peeked inside. Angelea was looking through the files Ciel had been working on the entire. Sebastian purposely made a loud sound and then heard Angelea scrambling around the study.

"Is anyone inside?" Sebastian asked in amusement opening the door.

"I was looking for Ciel" Angelea said with a smile.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Angelea but my mistress has retired for the night. You should as well since it is quite late" Sebastian said.

He escorted her to her room and then made sure the door was shut before racing down to the study to put away Ciel's files. What was Angelea doing? Was she here for another purpose rather than helping Ciel with her missions? Sebastian smirked. Well he would have to keep a better eye on her then.

Sebastian's eyes on you were something you would never want in your entire life if he was an enemy. Angelea was in for a hard time if she wished to do something to Ciel.

**I'm hoping anyone from here could do me a favor and write me a lemon on CielxSebby and AloisxClaude. I am really bad at lemons and I'm sure my attempts so far have been pathetic. The best lemon for each couple will be posted as bonus chapters. Send in your lemons through PM. Until then, continue reviewing.**

**Onyxinlife. **


	51. Chapter 51

"So she was looking through my files. The little sneaky bitch" Ciel said as Claude drove them to school.

"Sebastian told me to pass on the message since he's keeping an eye on her now" Claude said.

"I knew there was something wrong with her the minute she stepped in the manor" Alois said.

"What does she want? Money? Access to my assets? My business? I don't understand her at all" Ciel asked.

"Ciel, do you remember when you told me that you needed a person in the inner circle to tell you who Malik was? Well, I found someone" Alois said.

"Who?" Ciel asked excited.

"Andre. He was with Kang throughout this whole thing. Maybe he knows something" Alois replied.

"After rehearsal we'll go and see Andre" Ciel said.

They were dropped off at school where most of their music class was milling around. Ciel quickly went over to her group. They started rehearsals and finished rather quickly. Ciel and Alois rushed off to the rehab center to meet Andre.

"So do you know anything?" Ciel asked after she had finished narrating her tale.

"Well, most of the time I was always high but the few times I was actually off the drugs, I used to lie down silently to listen to Kang and a few of his close buddies. Sometimes, I would hear about the drug routes and sometimes I would hear about how another college party had brought out new people willing to be suppliers" Andre explained.

"There's something else as well, right?" Ciel asked.

"Once I heard the name Malik from Kang. He was a bit drunk so I didn't take him seriously. One of his buddies punched him for uttering the name like that. I paid attention and recorded the conversation on a phone I had stolen. It was all in Korean so I listened to it over and over but I could never write down the words to translate anything"

"Do you still have the recording? I can understand Korean since I learn it at school. I might be able to translate it" Ciel asked.

"Yeah but they took the phone from me when I got here. You can ask the front desk" Andre replied.

Claude went to find it and brought the phone. Ciel switched the phone on and then looked through the recordings. Alois handed her earphones and she listened to the conversation.

"Is the man who punched Kang named Tae Ik?" Ciel asked and Andre nodded.

"So what is he saying?" Alois asked.

"Tae Ik is saying, 'Malik is like God to us. We would never even be in this country if not for him. Our Lord and father. His Majesty, Malik. How dare you speak his name with such indifference!'. Kang isn't saying anything but some of the other people are agreeing to what Tae Ik is saying" Ciel said.

"What else?"

"Kang's replying by apologizing. He doesn't sound very apologetic" Ciel replied.

"And?"

"Tae Ik's warning him that Malik will destroy Kang" Ciel said.

"This is exactly what happened. Kang is now rotting in prison" Alois said.

"Kang might now who Malik is. We should go to Olivia" Ciel said.

"Thanks for your help" Claude said and Andre nodded.

They walked out of the rehab center and then drove to the precinct. Ciel was allowed inside to speak to Claude.

"You're here again? Why can't you leave me in peace? Or have you come here to see me rot?" Kang asked.

"Shut and tell me who Malik is" Ciel said.

Kang smirked. "You've been doing some research haven't you?"

"You were part of the inner circle. Tell me who Malik is" Ciel said.

"When I was younger and barely starting out in drugs, I didn't know who ran what. Now I used to be part of the inner circle. I first heard the name Malik when I was eighteen and just took over the position of some other person who had moved up closer to the top. It was said in fear but also said in reverence" Kang explained.

"So who is he? Some sort of god for you all to worship?" Ciel asked.

"Malik is the God that we all should worship. He brought all of us into the country and continued the trading of drugs. He is respected more than any other person in the circle. Without him, the drugs would have never taken over the country" Kang replied.

"All the more reason to find him and destroy him" Ciel said.

"You won't find him that easily, Countess. I've been in this business for more than twenty years and I've never seen him. Only three people have seen his true face. That's himself, his right hand man and of course Meiling" Kang said.

"Your girlfriend knows what he looks like?" Ciel asked.

"She was his for a short period of time. Then he tired of her and let her go. But before that he cut off her tongue and bashed her head hard enough for her to forget about him" Kang replied.

"She doesn't remember anything? That can't be" Ciel said.

"I've tried many times to get her to tell me but she won't say a thing. She tried drawing him once but then the more she tries remembering the more she forgets" Kang said.

"So if we can't find Malik, we find his right hand man then" Ciel said.

"Who doesn't say a word unless Malik wants him to. Very loyal guy" Kang said.

"So it's impossible for us to find Malik"

"Us? It's going to be hard for you, Countess. I'm in this hell until Malik finds another use for me" Kang pointed out.

"He could have made my life hell if he wanted to. He almost did by taking way my parents but he's left me alone. He's been leaving me hints about something but I don't know what he wants. It's like dangling a new toy in front of a child" Ciel said.

"Maybe he has something against you" Kang suggested.

"Well unless he comes out and says what he wants, I can't do anything about him" Ciel stood up and then walked out of the room.

Back at the mansion, Sebastian listened out for any suspicious activity from Angelea. So far she hadn't come out of her room. He heard the screech of the car from outside and knew Claude, Ciel and Alois were home.

"Welcome home" he said to them as they walked in.

"Where's the bitch?" Alois asked ducking before Ciel slapped him at the back of his head.

"In her room. She still hasn't done anything suspicious" Sebastian replied.

"We need to make a plan. We need her to tell us what she wants" Ciel said.

"What are we supposed to do?" Alois asked.

"She wants Claude, let's give him to her" Ciel said with a wicked smile.

"What?"


	52. Chapter 52

"The plan should be executed any minute now" Ciel said twirling a lock of her short hair around her fingers.

"I don't like this plan" Alois commented as he paced around the room.

"Why should you? After all, the man of your dreams will be seducing the woman you hate and one thing will lead to another-" "SHUT UP!" Alois screamed at Sebastian who shrugged and turned around to gaze out of the windows.

"Where are you Claude?" Ciel asked tapping her earpiece.

"In the west hallway, right around the corner from Ms. Angelea's room" Claude replied.

"Good. Execute the plan" Ciel said.

Claude pulled off the earpiece and tucked it into his pocket. He heard Angelea's door open and then walked around the corner. Angelea stopped as she spotted Claude casually walking down the hallway.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Angelea" Claude greeted.

"This is the first time you've actually said a word to me, what happened?" Angelea asked.

"Nothing, madam. I am just checking on the wellbeing of the guests of the house of Phantomhive. All of us must take care of our guests in the best possible way" Claude replied.

"Come to my room tonight and take care of me" Angelea stepped forward and twirled a locked of Claude's hair around her fingers.

"Anything you wish, madam. Shall I have the finest wines in the house sent up as well?" Claude asked.

"The finest red wines please"

"Yes madam"

Angelea leaned up and kissed Claude's lips. Claude kept his lips firmly closed and Angelea let him go.

"See you tonight" with that she walked away.

Claude walked all the way down to Ciel's study and then wiped his lips clean of Angelea's sticky lip-gloss.

"So?" Ciel asked.

"Tonight we'll know all about what she's doing here" Claude said.

"I still don't like this plan" Alois repeated.

"Well this is the only way we can do this" Ciel said.

That night, everyone retired to bed. Alois paced in his bedroom by himself. Sebastian stood outside Alois's bedroom door making sure the blond wouldn't run to Claude and ruin their plan. Ciel sat on her bed with her ear piece and laptop, constantly checking on Claude.

Claude knocked on Angelea's door. She opened it immediately and Claude cringed internally. She was dressed in sexy lingerie which would probably be appealing if Claude looked at women that way.

"What do you think?" Angelea took Claude's hand and dragged him into the room.

"Very beautiful" Claude replied with his efficient poker face.

He walked over to the carafe of wine and popped open a bottle. He poured out a generous amount for both of them and then offered Angelea a glass. She drank it up and then wrapped her arms around him to kiss him. Claude closed his eyes and kissed her back. He would rather have been with Alois than any other person right now.

"You are just so attractive. Your scent alone drives me crazy" Angelea said with a lustful gaze.

Claude reached out and drank some of the wine. He kissed Angelea and then poured the wine into her mouth through their connected lips. Angelea drank up the wine and Claude smirked. Claude picked her up and then laid her down on the bed.

"You know, I'd never thought that my stupid mission here would have been so boring. Thank goodness you're here to lift my boredom" Angelea said as Claude kissed her neck.

"Mission? I don't care what mission you're on" Claude replied lifting up his head.

"Well, yeah all he wants is information on Ciel. That's so easy to get" Angelea said.

"Who is this other person I have to compete with?" Claude asked.

"Oh he's no competition for you. He's just a douche who orders everyone around. Don't tell him I said that. He'll kill me" Angelea replied.

"Who will kill you? I'd like to see them try" Claude asked.

"Malik of course" At this Angelea broke out into giggles.

Claude reached out and drank another glass of wine. He kissed Angelea who lapped up the wine on his lips. He smirked when she closed her eyes and fell dead asleep. Then he got off the bed and ripped off part of her lingerie to make it look like they had done the deed. He placed the blankets over her and then walked out the room.

"So what'd you get?" Ciel asked when Claude entered her room.

"Malik has sent her as a spy. She didn't say why because she fainted after the third glass of wine" Claude replied.

"Low alcohol tolerance?"

"No, I laced the wine with my saliva. It's particularly potent to humans when mixed with alcohol" Claude replied.

"She won't remember anything right?"

"She'll remember what she wants to remember" Claude replied.

"And the infamous Malik comes back again. He knows that I'm after him and he sent her to find out how close we are to him" Ciel said.

"We need to be extra careful around her now" Claude said.

"Well done. Now go and comfort Alois before he blows up" Ciel waved Claude away.

Claude gave a nod to Sebastian before entering Alois's room. Alois, finally tired from pacing and worrying had fallen into an exhausted sleep. He still wasn't at peace since he kept turning and muttering in his sleep.

"You are always going to be in my heart, Alois. Don't let anyone make you think otherwise" Claude kissed Alois's forehead.

Alois instantly relaxed in his sleep, a small comforted smile on his lips. Claude lied down and hugged the blond to himself. Alois nestled against Claude's chest and let out a soft snore. Claude chuckled but didn't let go of Alois the entire night.

"You should go to bed" Sebastian said while he closed the curtains of Ciel's room, plunging them into darkness.

"I know but I can't. I'm worried. Malik has access to our home because of Angelea. We have to get her out of here" Ciel said.

"Since her boss told her to come here we can't do a thing about it" Sebastian said.

"Her Majesty still hasn't replied to the letter I sent her about Angelea. She's rather busy this month preparing for New Years and whatnot" Ciel said.

"Everything will turn out fine. Now go to sleep" Sebastian said.

Ciel took off her glasses and shut off her laptop. She tucked herself into the blankets and closed her eyes.

The next day, while they were all eating breakfast a reply arrived from the Queen. Ciel opened it and began reading. Alois crossed his fingers under the table as Ciel read the letter.

"Well it seems that Her Majesty does not approve you staying with us and helping with missions. It is under her orders that I say you may leave this mansion and return to your old job. Thank you and I hope you enjoy the hospitality of the Phantomhives" Ciel said.

Alois let out an internal cheer and Angelea stood up with a scowl on her face. Angelea walked up the steps and packed her bags. She walked out the door and her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Malik sends Ciel his greetings and to you his goodbyes"

The phone was cut off just as there was a gunshot. Ciel jumped up from her chair and ran over to the windows. Lying down on the front lawn, dying was Angelea.

"Oh my god!" Ciel was about to rush outside when Sebastian stopped her.

"There might be someone out there" Sebastian warned.

"I don't care. She might have something for me" Ciel said.

She threw off Sebastian's hand and ran out the door. Angelea was taking in rapid breaths, trying to stop her death.

"Ciel?"

"Angelea, who did this to you? What's going on?" Ciel asked.

"Malik did this. He told me to spy on you to trap you and get rid of you" Angelea replied.

She coughed out blood and Ciel took her hand.

"Where is he, Angelea? How do you contact him?" Ciel asked.

"He's closer than you think. Much closer. You wouldn't even believe who it is. I didn't at first until I heard his voice and his plans. He's right there but you can't see him" Angela replied.

"Tell me more"

Angelea's eyes rolled to the back of her and she lay still. Ciel let go of her hand and stood up. She looked through Angelea's bag and brought out the Christian cross she had seen Angelea wear many times.

"May God and Jesus have mercy on her" Ciel whispered and tied the rope necklace around Angelea's neck.

Ciel stood up and then looked around the grounds.

"I know you're out there. Malik, you'll be thrown off your throne soon enough. I promise I'll defeat you" Ciel said.

The wind carried her voice around the grounds. The sniper who shot Angelea grinned.

"Tell Malik that Phantomhive's looking for him"


	53. Chapter 53

"Another drugs case?" Alois asked and Ciel nodded.

"This time it's another bunch of college students. This is ridiculous" Ciel replied handing Alois the letter.

"So it's an overdose case?"

"Let me tell you the story of these three best friends. One of them, Martin was rich. The other two had been fighting for scholarships as soon as they entered high school. All three of them became friends when they entered high school" Ciel began.

"Martin studies business while the other two study medicine. Now when the necessary scholarship exams arrived one of the two didn't get enough points for a scholarship. So they decided to make a fake kidnapping of Martin and the ransom would be used to pay for their friend's tuition fees"

"So did they succeed?" Alois asked.

"Martin grew tired of this game. So the two friends drugged him with barbiturate, a very lethal drug. They gave him too much but enough for him to overdose and die. Now the case lands on us. Where did they get such a lethal drug and how?" Ciel replied.

"You don't think Malik is behind this, do you?" Alois asked.

"Yes, he is behind this" Ciel replied. She reached out for an Oreo and bit into it with a loud snap.

"How do you know that?" Luke asked.

"Because on the wall of the home Martin was hidden in, it was written 'Malik sends you his greetings and his goodbyes'"

"He's baiting you. He knows that you're looking for and that you'll come to him soon enough" Sebastian said.

"Well, I'll just take the bait then" Ciel said.

"What the hell? You can't just walk into his trap! Are you crazy?" Alois exclaimed.

"It's time to face him. I'm tired of running around and trying to find him. If he's sending me an invitation then why not accept it?" Ciel replied.

"Not yet. We shouldn't fall for his bait. Until we know who he exactly is and what he's capable of, we shouldn't do anything. Just ignore it like as if it's nothing" Sebastian suggested.

"If that's settled, then I need to get to school. My group has rehearsals at three" Alois heaved himself off the couch and walked out with Claude.

"You do enjoy taking the fun out of things, don't you?" Ciel asked finishing her Oreo and locked her arms around Sebastian's neck.

"It's not fun walking right into the sleeping lion's cave" Sebastian replied pushing her gently.

Ciel landed on the couch and then giggled as Sebastian climbed over her. His long bangs tickled her face and Ciel reached out to twirl his locks around her fingers.

"You've got the softest hair I've ever felt" Ciel commented and Sebastian leaned down to lick off the little biscuit crumbs from the corner of Ciel's lips. Ciel poked out her tongue and Sebastian didn't waste any time to make their lips meet.

Sebastian suddenly sat up and dragged Ciel up with him. With his demonic speed, he ran to Ciel's room and quickly shut the door behind him. Ciel shivered slightly as Sebastian unzipped her dress in a painfully slow fashion. She made a faint mewling sound as Sebastian kissed and nipped at her neck and shoulders.

Ciel pushed Sebastian's jacket off his shoulders. He pulled away and then raised his arms for Ciel to take off his coat. She quickly unbuttoned his shirt and he flung off the shirt. Ciel bent slightly to lick at his neck. Sebastian hissed as she pushed him down and licked all the way down to the belt buckle of his pants.

She quickly unbuckled the belt and divested him of his pants. Sebastian suddenly jolted up and tore off Ciel's dress.

"You're being rather dominant today, aren't you?" Sebastian asked with a smirk.

"Like you'd ever let me. You'd never put your pride on the line like that" Ciel replied with a teasing smirk and gasped when she felt Sebastian's finger push it's way inside her.

"Why can't I be dominant? It isn't fair that a man does all the work" Ciel asked, her breath coming in short gasps.

"Seeing you so vulnerable in my grasp is enough for me" Sebastian said.

In Alois's study, Alois was facing a similar assault. Claude had Alois seated on the desk with his ungloved hands roaming under Alois's shirt. Alois dug his fingers through Claude's hair and pulled. Claude's eyes glowed bright pink and he grinned mischievously.

"I'll be late...for rehear-...rehearsals" Alois breathed out as Claude kissed and nipped at his neck.

"Five more minutes" Claude whispered before kissing the sensitive skin below Alois's ear.

"A second more and I won't be able to hold back. Let's go" Alois pushed Claude away with every effort he had and hopped off the desk.

"As you wish" Claude said running his hands over his hair to smoothening out the tangles.

Ciel ran her fingers through her short hair to let all the lathered shampoo out. Her mind always strayed to Malik and who he was. He had managed to get everyone who was connected to him out of the way. Kang was now rotting in jail and Angelea was now dead. She didn't know who to go to to find Malik.

She turned off the water and squeezed out all the water from her hair. She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself.

"How was the shower?" Sebastian asked as he laid out a simple blue dress for her to wear.

"I'm not wearing that. Bring out my shorts and black sweater" Ciel replied.

She wore a bathrobe and began towel drying her hair.

"Are you planning to go somewhere?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes, we're going to find Tae Ik" Ciel replied.

"Kang's friend Tae Ik?"

"The very same"

"Should I also put on a disguise as well?" Sebastian asked.

Ciel nodded and Sebastian left. She dressed quickly in her clothes and grabbed her black hoodie. She combed down her wet hair and wore her hoodie. She laced up her boots and ran down the stairs to the parlor where Sebastian stood waiting for her. Sebastian himself was dressed in dark jeans and a red long sleeved sweater.

He had donned a black leather jacket and combed his long bangs to hide his face. He also had several fake piercings, two on his each eyebrow, two on the lips and one on each earlobe.

"Sexy" Ciel commented as she walked towards him.

"What about you?" Sebastian asked.

Ciel pointed to her visible eye and Sebastian pinned the fake piercing on the eyebrow.

"Now we can go" Ciel said.

**A little bit of a filler chapter for everyone but lot's more is coming for the suspense to build up. Will Ciel manage to find her parent's killer? **


	54. Chapter 54

"Everyone here is either drugged or high up in the clouds" Ciel commented kicking a man's hand out of the way.

"Tae Ik isn't here" Sebastian said.

"There must be someone here we can talk to if Tae Ik isn't here" Ciel glanced around and then felt someone tap her shoulder.

She turned and noticed Meiling standing there with her arms folded. The pretty Chinese woman had her hair in schoolgirl ponytails and she was dressed in a sexy schoolgirl outfit.

"Hello Meiling. Do you know where we can find Tae Ik?" Ciel asked politely.

Meiling's eyes fell shut and she raised her hand only to make a slicing motion at her neck.

"He's dead?" Ciel asked in horror and Meiling nodded.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Sebastian asked and Meiling motioned for them to come with her.

They followed her into one of the internal chambers and then pointed to a body. Ciel gasped when she saw the face of a rather attractive Korean man who was still dressed in a black suit. His face was pale and peaceful but there was dried blood pooled right beside him which was leaking out from his cut neck.

"Is that him?" Ciel asked in horror.

Meiling nodded and then hung her head, looking down at the floor.

"Did Malik do this?" Sebastian asked.

Meiling stared at them with a confused look on her face. Ciel then remembered that Meiling had forgotten all about Malik.

"You know Malik, right?" Ciel asked.

Meiling shook her but Sebastian understood what Ciel was trying to do.

"He should have silver or at least some greying hair by now. I believe he lives in England" Sebastian said.

They continued playing this guessing game until Meiling brought a writing pad and pencil.

"He has greying hair and rather pale skin. He should live in England and he has two dogs" Ciel continued on as Meiling drew something.

Sebastian watched Meiling and she handed the writing pad to him. He furrowed his eyebrows as he realized what she had drawn.

"Thank you Meiling. Please don't tell anyone about this" Ciel said.

They sat in the car and drove away to a park. Sebastian parked and Ciel examined the drawing.

"She's drawn a building" Ciel said.

"If she doesn't remember what Malik looks like, maybe this is one of the places that Malik took her to" Sebastian suggested.

"This place is so familiar. I feel like I've seen it before" Ciel said.

Sebastian pulled out his phone and took a picture of the image.

"It's in England, I'm sure of it" Ciel said.

Sebastian began searching and then found the place that Meiling had drawn.

"This is Highgrove House, the country home of HRH the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles" Sebastian said and Ciel stared at him in shock.

Then they felt something hit the back of the car. Glass from the rear of the car rained on them. Both whirled around and ducked as bullets shot past them through the broken glass. Ciel tore out the drawing and quickly folded it to tuck it into her pocket.

"There's someone coming from the front" Sebastian said.

The windshield broke into pieces as a large rock impacted it. Ciel screamed and Sebastian grabbed her hands.

"We're getting out of here. Hold on tight" Ciel nodded and Sebastian used his demonic speed to jump out of the car with her in tow.

Once they were out, he picked her up bridal style and ran. Ciel buried her head into Sebastian's chest as he ran, out of fear. She had never been more scared in her life. They burst through the front doors and the triplets locked and bolted the doors.

"Close the gates and make sure the security is tight. We can't risk anything happened to Ciel, Alois or Luke" Sebastian ordered.

The triplets nodded and ran off. Sebastian ran up to Ciel's room and deposited her onto the bed.

"What happened?" Luke asked.

"Where are Alois and Claude?" Sebastian asked.

"He's at rehearsals with Claude. They'll be back by five" Luke replied.

"Call them back now. This is not time for them to be outside" Sebastian said.

Luke ran off to call Alois and Sebastian fetched a first aid kit. He took off Ciel's hoodie wincing as pieces of glass fell into the carpet.

"Are you alright?" Sebastian asked quietly.

Ciel didn't reply but she hissed when Sebastian applied antiseptic to the small cuts on her face and hands.

"I'm fine. Just a little shook up" Ciel replied.

"I called Alois. He said he'll be back in fifteen minutes or so" Luke said walking into Ciel's room.

"Good. I hope nothing happens to them" Ciel wrapped her arms around herself. Just then, her phone rang.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the ringing phone. Sebastian nodded and then took the phone. He handed it to her and she pressed the 'accept call' button. She held the phone up to her ear and said hello.

"You escaped me this time, Countess. Can I call you Ciel?"

"It's you, you're the same person who called me when I was younger. What do you want?" Ciel asked.

"Well, you're rather clever. I've come to deliver a message from my master"

"What kind of message?"

"A warning. Stop investigating about Malik otherwise the Earl will be the next one to go"

"Don't you dare hurt Alois!"

"Stop looking for Malik and we won't hurt your little boyfriend"

"How can you stand having Malik dictate your every move? How can you enjoy the way he destroys the lives of people? I want to deliver him to justice" Ciel asked.

"I suppose you've already decided to ignore my threat. Malik sends you his greetings and to the Earl his goodbyes"

"Wait!" Ciel heard the dial tone and the phone fell from her hands.

"Call Claude and ask how far they are from home. Tell them to come home as fast as they can" Ciel said.

Sebastian hurried off and Luke stared at Ciel.

"Will something bad happen to Alois?" Luke asked.

Ciel wrapped her arms around him. "Nothing will happen to your brother. I'll make sure of it".

They waited together and the clock downstairs chimed five times. At the same time a loud roar of thunder echoed around the mansion.

"It's five already, where are they?" Luke asked and Ciel's arms tightened around him.

Then the doors burst open. Ciel and Luke ran down the stairs and then stopped. An unconscious Alois was being held up by Claude who was dripping wet.

"What happened to him?" Ciel asked checking for Alois's pulse which was still beating to her relief.

"We were ambushed at the red light. I couldn't stop the car that well and Alois's head smacked against the armrest on the car door. He lost consciousness which made it easier for me to abandon the car and run all the way here" Claude replied.

Sebastian quickly cleaned off the blood from Alois's forehead and dressed the wound. Then Claude carried Alois up to his room.

"Luke, let's go upstairs" Hannah took Luke's hand and then took him upstairs.

Ciel sighed in relief and relaxed against the couch. Alois was safe. They were all safe for now.

"I'm going to my study. Send the tea after a few minutes" Ciel said and she walked away to her study.


	55. M rated bonus chapter CielxSebastian

**The following chapter is written by 3 vil. panda (name without spaces) who was kind enough to write a lemon chapter for this story. Thank you so much!**

**This chapter is rated M so for those who don't want to read it can skip onto the next chapter. This is only a bonus for those who love CielxSebby as much as me and do. **

Ciel pushed away her files in frustration. As the Queen's guard dog she was expected to handle this case with impeccable speed and grace, but Malik had spooked her good. She let out a long sigh as she leaned back in her chair when her eyes focused onto her tea that Sebastian had brought her a while ago. Her nerves were shot she had forgotten about it, but now she could feel the caffeine withdrawal kicking in more so than usual. As she began reaching for her tea, Sebastian knocked on her study door.

"I came to clear away your dishes," he explained as he looked down and saw her still full cup, "...but I can see you have barely touched it."

He drew nearer to her. "Are feeling alright Ciel?" he asked with true concern.

Ciel's fist clenched as she felt the frustration grow even more. "No. I am not 'alright. The man who killed my parents is toying with me," she said through her teeth. "If I lose Alois & Luke. I don't know what would do." Tears began to trickle down her face at the thought of losing them.

Sebastian moved to wipe them away, but she stopped him which stung him. "No. I want to remember this feeling Sebastian. It will be my drive. I will hunt this bastard down and-

Her words were abruptly cut off as Sebastian wrapped his arms around her tightly and pressed his lips against hers. His lips moved gently, at first, with hers, but then he began to kiss her more hungrily as he used his tongue to coax her lips apart. She moaned when his tongue slid over hers, sending shivers up her spine. And just like that he pulled away.

"What? Why'd you stop?" she asked as she reached for him, but he pushed her hands away.

"So that you would know how it feels to be pushed away by someone you love," he said as he lifted her onto the desk.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I just need to channel my frustration towards...," her voice trailed off as she stared in awe as Sebastian took off his coat and vest and began unbuttoning his shirt.

"It's becoming more than frustration. I can see stress all in your eyes," he said as he stepped closer to her. "I know the perfect way to relieve stress," he said with a devilish grin.

"And what's that?" Ciel innocently asked, clueless to what he was referring to.

"I'll give you a hint..." he said as he stood between her legs to kiss her again and rested his hands on her thighs. He slipped his tongue into her mouth again and slid his hands around to her butt, grabbing it to pull her closer. She gasped at his forcefulness and snaked her fingers through his hair. His hands roamed up and down her thighs, appreciating every curve and when she began rubbing on his chest, his pants began to tighten. He wanted her so badly already and they had just barely begun.

He paused their kiss to pull off her shirt and as he began to kiss her neck as he unhooked her bra.

"Sebastian. I..." Ciel started.

"Yes?" he replied only to be met with silence. "We've done this before. Are you alright?" he breathed as his heart rate returned to normal.

"I'm more than alright. It's just...this time feels more special," she explained.

"I love you," Sebastian whispered.

"I love you too," Ciel breathed as she pulled him closer. She pushed her tongue into his mouth this time, loving his little jump of surprise, but to her surprise he slipped a hand between her legs and began stroking her core through her lace panties. She began to moan at his touch. They were his favorites and he wanted to see them. He gently pushed her down onto the desk and tugged off her skirt. Black lace. He loved the way the dark black looked against her pale skin. He wiggled his fingers around her undies and began to tease her wet folds and her back began to arch. She was so responsive and he hadn't even entered her yet. He slipped a finger inside and she began to moan louder. Loving her reaction he slowly inserted a second finger and began thrusting them in and out of her, making her moan and squeal in pleasure. He wiggled his fingers inside of her as he felt her slick walls tighten.

Ciel could feel the tension gathering at her core. He was driving her insane with his hands and every time she would look up, his pink eyes always caught her and more heat would pool up at her core. She could feel herself about to come when he suddenly pulled his fingers out. She wanted him to lose it like she was so she quickly sat up and began yanking his pants down. Then she looked at the bulge in his boxers and began to stroke it, making him close his eyes and thrust his hips out to meet her caresses. She tugged his boxers down, letting his swollen erection spring free, and she wrapped her fingers around it to give it a squeeze.

When she began to pump his shaft, Sebastian moaned and gripped the desk to steady himself. She pumped faster and faster and he could feel nothing but pure bliss. He needed to be inside her. He wouldn't last long with her ravishing him like this so he pushed her hand away and pushed her back down on the desk. He sat in her chair, his face level with her glorious rump, and slowly tugged off her panties with his teeth. Then he spread her legs farther apart so he could slide his tongue between her slick folds, making her gasp with pleasure. He began stroking her with his tongue and she begged for him to stop.

"What's wrong? I thought you were enjoying it," he pouted.

She panted back, "I am, but this is driving me crazy. I need you inside of me."

He finished pushing off his boxers and lifted her, easily, off of the desk so that she was straddling his lap while he was sitting in the chair. She wrapped her arms around his neck and began kissing him as he lowered her onto his hard erection. She moaned and began nibbling on his lip as he entered her, stretching her to fit his enormous ** and filling her completely. She was so tight and wet he had to take a deep breath so as not to lose himself. She was stressed out more than he had anticipated so he took her slow.

Gently lifting her up and down on his erection and as she moaned she began to pull his hair. When she pulled his hair, pleasure shot through him. She had never done that before and he loved it so he stood up and lowered her onto the floor. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he dove into her, plunging himself in all the way to the hilt of his erection and pulled out only to thrust back in. With each thrust, Ciel moaned his name louder and louder, continuing to pull his hair which only urged him on. He thrust faster and faster until screamed his name.

He was doing it again. He was driving her insane. He was giving her pure passion; she could feel it in his hungry kisses. She held on for dear life as he used his demon speed to pleasure her until she screamed and began to spasm with pleasure as they came together. He had given her all of him tonight. He pulled out and wrapped his arms around her as she was still shaking from the waves of pleasure radiating from her core.

With his demon speed he zipped her to her room and sat her on the bed. Then he quickly fetched their clothes from her private study and dropped them on the floor of her room.

"Sebastian? Are you about to put your clothes back on again?" Ciel asked cautiously. She didn't want him to know how it hurt her when he did that, but his eyes saw the flash of pain before she could hide it.

He climbed into bed beside her and pulled her close. He kissed her neck and whispered, "No, Ciel. Not after realizing how much it hurts you when I do that."

"I love you, Sebastian, so much," she said.

"I love you too, Ciel. Now try to get some rest before the sight of you makes me ravish you again," he warned.

She fake yawned and stretched, making her rump grind against his re-hardening cock and looked up at him teasingly. His eyes grew pink and began to slit. Ciel rolled on top of him and this time, he did lose himself.


	56. Chapter 56

The next morning, Alois regained his consciousness. Breakfast was eaten in silence as the events of yesterday were remembered.

"I nearly lost my life" Alois commented.

"I nearly lost both of you" Luke commented.

"It's thanks to Sebastian and Claude who were there with us" Ciel said and she was kissed by Sebastian immediately.

"You give me too much praise" Claude said with a short bow.

"So what did you guys find out?" Alois asked.

"We went to find Tae Ik but he was dead. We used a psychological guessing game with Meiling who drew Prince Charles's country home. I suspect that Malik is somehow related to Prince Charles otherwise why would he take Meiling there?" Ciel replied.

"Maybe Malik got the name from there. Malik means king and Prince Charles is next in line to be king. Maybe that's what Meiling was trying to tell you" Luke suggested.

"But she could have drawn Prince William or even Prince Harry. Why Prince Charles's home?" Ciel asked.

"There's something in that house that relates to Malik" Sebastian replied.

"At the moment, Prince Charles is in London for the winter. He only goes to Highgrove during the summer. At the moment the house must be empty aside from cleaners and gardeners" Ciel said.

"So Malik might be using the home as his lair. But wouldn't Prince Charles be against this? There's no way he would allow a drug lord to use his home" Alois asked.

"That's true. The person next in line to be king wouldn't allow that" Ciel agreed.

"So we're back to square one. Why did she draw the house?" Luke said.

"We should check the Highgrove out. The only problem is that Malik is watching us. We can't leave the house" Ciel said.

"There is someone we can send" Alois said.

"Who?"

"The triplets. They'll be perfect for sneaking around and finding something" Alois replied.

"That's perfect. Hannah, send them right now" Ciel said.

A little while later, they all wandered off to their activities. Alois and Luke went to play video games in Luke's room. Ciel sat herself in her study with her work.

"Do you need anything? Tea? Snacks?" Claude asked as he dragged in the vacuum cleaner.

"No, I'm fine" Ciel replied pushing her glasses up her nose and concentrating on the documents.

Claude switched on the vacuum and began to push it over the carpet. Ciel sighed and glanced out the window. Then she froze.

"Claude, stop the vacuum"

Claude looked up and then Ciel waved him over. He walked over and then spotted what Ciel was trying to show him. A red car was driving along the road of the mansion. It would drive past the mansion and then take a U turn and then reverse back.

"Someone's watching us" Ciel said.

"There is a man seated in the car. Blond hair, green eyes and pale skin. Height six foot. He's dressed in black slacks and a white tee shirt with black jacket" Claude said and Ciel stood up.

"But why is he out there? Has Malik sent him?" Ciel asked.

"I don't know but for now I am glad Sebastian placed missile proof windows when he was renovating" Claude replied.

"Missile proof? What happened to bullet proof?"

"Ask Sebastian. After all, I couldn't help but wander around outside in the grounds because of the noise the two of you were making last night" Claude replied.

Ciel blushed. "You heard us last night?"

"Hard not to with my heightened senses. Also both of your scents are stronger in this room than anywhere else in the house after last night" Claude replied.

"I'll be in the kitchens then. You can finish up cleaning in here" Ciel said.

She walked out and then felt a blush come over her face again as she remembered the events of last night.

"Oh my, what are you thinking about that's got you blushing like a schoolgirl with a crush on her teacher?" Sebastian asked.

Ciel looked up and saw him unlocking a door to a room in the hallway.

"I've never been in this room before" Ciel commented and Sebastian chuckled.

"Curiosity killed the cat"

"But satisfaction brought her back" Ciel retorted.

"My little kitten" Sebastian stroked Ciel's hair which made her smile.

"So let's go inside" Ciel said.

Sebastian opened the door and let Ciel enter. He then closed the door behind him and switched on the overhead light. Ciel blinked to let her eyes adjust and then gasped. Asleep in a basket were five kittens. All of them had different color fur and Ciel knelt down silently to peer at them.

"Where did you get them?" Ciel asked.

"Outside the grounds while I was renovating. First there was only one but more came. I used to keep them in my room but they seem to prefer closed places" Sebastian replied.

"They're so cute" Ciel cooed.

At her comment, Sebastian chuckled. Then one of the cats sniffled in its sleep and awoke. Ciel gasped as its blue eyes focused on her and Sebastian. Ciel slowly reached out her hand and stroked the kitten between the ears.

"Its fur is so soft and it's so small" Ciel commented.

"This one is a female. The black one over there is also female. The rest of the three are male" Sebastian said.

"Hello there" Ciel whispered as she cupped the kitten in her hands.

"I haven't named them yet. I was waiting for you" Sebastian admitted.

"Why did you wait for me? You were the one who found them" Ciel asked.

"Ciel, you promised my old master that you won't continue the line of the Phantomhives. You are the sole heir and you can transfer the company to anyone you wish to-" "So you think the decision I made is silly?" Ciel cut of Sebastian angrily.

"I don't find it silly or foolish. I know that the love for children lives in you like every other woman in the world"

"I don't need kids. I have you, Alois, Luke, Claude, Hannah and the triplets. I don't need anyone else" Ciel protested.

"Ciel think about it. Are you saying you wouldn't have a child with me?" Sebastian asked.

Ciel furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you trying to say?"

"Ciel, I know this is not the appropriate moment to ask you this but...well, I know you have a lot to stress about..." Sebastian sighed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, will you marry me?"

Ciel gaped at him. Sebastian's hand jumped to his hair in nervousness.

"I didn't expect this. I totally did not expect this" Ciel said.

"I knew this was a bad time to pop the question" Sebastian said.

"When have we ever been perfect? Sebastian, I would love to marry you but there's alot of complications we haven't thought about" Ciel said.

"Just give me your answer Ciel. The complications come later" Sebastian said.

"Yes, I'll marry you" Ciel said and Sebastian wrapped his arms around her.

Ciel laughed and then heard five meows echo around the room. They glanced over at the kittens and saw each of the kittens staring at them. They slowly walked towards Sebastian and Ciel. Ciel reached her hand out and stroked the blue eyed kitten. She purred nd the others took this as a sign that there was no danger.

"Should we name them?" Sebastian asked.

"The blue eyed one with white fur should be named Sapphire. Her eyes remind me of sapphires" Ciel replied.

"Then the black one should be Ebony" Sebastian said.

"The grey one should be named Shane" Ciel said.

"Why Shane?"

"I just thought of the name" Ciel replied.

"Then the orange and white one should be named Lizzie"

"And the last one?"

"Hmm, how about Othello?"

"No, I think we should name him Ciel. He scowls like Ciel anyway" Ciel replied.

"How about Phantom? That sounds better" Sebastian suggested.

"Perfect"

Ciel sighed as she breathed in Sebastian's warm and musky scent. The fact that his scent could arouse her as well as relax her was rather incredible. The kittens played with each other and Ciel reveled in this moment of peace and silence with Sebastian by her side.


	57. Chapter 57

"You found Malik's right hand man? Good work" Ciel said and the triplets bowed low.

"So his right hand man is having a party at one of the biggest brothels in East End" Claude said.

"We have to get in there and catch his right hand man. If we catch him, we have something to bargain with" Ciel said.

"How are we going to get in there? We practically scream 'rich' the minute we enter a room. We'll attract attention in a brothel immediately" Alois said.

"Then we'll go in disguise" Ciel said.

"As what?"

"Hannah will be a dancer in the brothel. She obviously will attract the attention of Malik's right hand man. She takes him upstairs in one of the rooms and we ambush him. We kidnap him and ask him where Malik is. He confesses and problem solved" Ciel replied.

"We'll need to dye my hair, my lady. The silver attracts too much attention" Hannah said.

"We'll color it black. With your tanned skin you would almost look Indian" Ciel said.

"Perfect idea. Let's do this" Alois said.

The plan was set and Hannah snuck into the brothel easily. Sebastian, Claude, Ciel and Alois snuck in disguised as customers.

"This place is even worse than Kang's drug basement" Claude commented as yet another woman gave him a 'come hither' look.

"At least you're being flirted with by the opposite gender. It seems the lesbian women seen to have a fetish for me" Ciel said sticking close to Sebastian.

"Well you give off the gothic lolita look which is quite attractive to many women" Alois replied.

"There's Hannah" Sebastian pointed out.

Hannah was currently dancing next to a man who had black hair slicked back with gel and was dressed all in black. She was dressed in a mini skirt, low cut top and a long silk slip. He seemed to be enjoying her attention and soon enough pulled her onto his lap.

"Is that him?" Ciel asked and Claude nodded.

Soon enough, Hannah was taken upstairs and they headed upstairs. Sebastian was first. He crept along the hallway, listening carefully. He stopped at a door and then waved the others over. The hallway was empty and Sebastian carefully opened the door. He let Ciel and Alois in and then left Claude outside standing guard.

Malik's right hand man pulled away from Hannah and then froze when he spotted Ciel, Alois and Sebastian in the room. He pushed Hannah off him but she had tied his hands to the bed post with the slip.

"Who are you? What do you want?" The man asked.

"Just some information" Hannah replied rolling off him and standing up.

"You're in this too, whore?" The man spat and Hannah gave him a slap that echoed around the room.

"You haven't seen my bad side yet. Now, answer their questions" Hannah said with a devilish gleam in her eyes.

"Your name?" Ciel asked.

"I'd rather not say my name"

There was another resounding slap and the man cursed.

"Fine, my name's Rahim"

"How ironic. Your name means 'mercy' but you won't get any from me. Now tell me where Malik is" Ciel smirked.

"I don't know where Malik is" Rahim replied.

Ciel nodded to Hannah who pulled out a Swiss army knife. She flicked it open and carefully ran the tip over Rahim's bare chest. Rahim's eyes widened but he kept his mouth shut.

"We'll kill you if you don't tell us where Malik is" Ciel warned.

"I don't care. I'll die for Malik" Rahim replied.

"When Kang said he was loyal, it was really true" Ciel commented.

"Well then, we'll have to persuade him a bit" Hannah plunged the knife right into the palm of Rahim's right hand.

Rahim opened his mouth to yell and Sebastian darted forward to clamp his gloved hands over Rahim's mouth. Hannah grinned and left the knife wedged deep into the man's hand.

"Are you willing to tell us now?" Ciel asked.

Rahim shook his head and Sebastian sighed. Alois chuckled as Sebastian pulled off his glove. The Faustian mark on his hand darkened and Rahim twitched.

"Get ready for my torture" Sebastian warned.

His eyes turned pink and catlike. He placed his hand over Rahim's neck and the other hand on Rahim's mouth. Then Rahim let out a muffled scream. Sebastian closed his eyes and Ciel turned away from Rahim's body which was writhing in pain.

"If you want this to stop then tell us where Malik is" Alois said.

The torture went on and on until Rahim agreed to talk.

"I've been an old friend of Malik's since he began to bring in alternative medicine into the UK" Rahim said.

"I've heard this before. Alternative medicine means using herbs right?" Ciel asked.

"Yes but we furthered it to drugs. No one wanted to listen to Malik because they thought alternate medicine was too risky. We took revenge by trading drugs"

"And you never got caught? How powerful is this Malik?" Ciel asked.

"We never got caught since Malik had power in the all the right places. I don't know the reason why he's so interested in you but if you ask me, it's a waste of time looking for you and destroying you" Rahim replied.

"So where is he?"

"He isn't known as Malik in the public. He had another name" Rahim replied.

"So what is his real name?"

"Not telling" Rahim said and let out another muffled scream as Hannah twisted the knife that was wedged into Rahim's hand. Sebastian pressed his hand against Rahim's neck and Rahim jolted with pain.

"Tell me" Ciel said in a deathly quiet voice.

"There are so many hints in his name that show who he is. Even the great Phantomhive can't figure it out" Rahim said.

"All I know is that his name means king. When we asked Meiling, she drew Prince Charles's country home. Is Malik related to the prince or the royal family?" Ciel glanced down at Rahim who was smiling.

"The answer's in front of you, Phantomhive" He said.

"Who? What are you talking about?" Alois asked but Ciel understood.

"Malik is HRH the Prince of Wales?" Ciel asked.

"What did you just say?" Alois asked Ciel.

"How do you think he's survived for this long without being caught?" Rahim replied.

"You're bluffing. There's no way a member of the royal family would do this" Alois said.

"You better be telling the truth" Hannah hissed.

"He's telling the truth" Sebastian said.

"He is?" Ciel asked quietly and Rahim nodded frantically.

"Kill him. Take his phone first" Alois said.

Hannah nodded and the two teens turned around. Both of them heard the sickening crack as Sebastian twisted Rahim's throat. They drove back to the mansion in silence with Alois taking occasional glances at Ciel who kept altering between staring out the window and fidgeting with the phone in her hand.

Once they were home, Ciel immediately went up to her study. Sebastian follow right behind her.

"What are you going to do now?" Sebastian asked.

"I don't know" Ciel replied. "I thought I would happy that I knew who killed my parents but now I just feel confused. I knew Prince Charles is rather cold towards me but what did I do for him to kill my parents and try to kill me?"

"That is a question only he can answer. I feel deja vu at the moment" Sebastian said.

"Because the Queen tried to do the same thing to my ancestor" Ciel said.

"We'll need to confront the prince then"

"And I know just the way to do it" Ciel pulled out Rahim's phone and skimmed through the contacts. She found Malik immediately and pressed call. She held the phone up to her ear and heard someone else pick up.

"Hello? Rahim, the party's over already?" there was a laugh and Ciel instantly recognized the voice as Prince Charles's.

"I think you got the wrong person, Malik" Ciel said smirking.

"Phantomhive, why am I not surprised? Where's Rahim?" The prince asked.

"You know why I killed your little messenger? Because it sends a message. I want to meet you Malik. Should I decide the venue or should you?" Ciel replied.

"Do you think I'm one if your servants that when you call me up, I'll come running?"

"Yes" Sebastian smiled at Ciel's reply.

"Very well. The fort on the beach. Tomorrow afternoon four o'clock" The prince hung up.

"Looks like it's time to face Malik" Ciel said.

Sebastian nodded with his face grim.

**Well here's the revelation of who Malik really is. I was thinking of putting someone else as Malik but my sister and friends told me it would be more interesting if I put a member of the royal family. **

**So what did you guys think? Was Malik's identity surprising? Did anyone try to guess who Malik was?**


	58. Chapter 58

"He's already here" Sebastian reported as Ciel stepped out of the newly bought car.

The two cars which they had previously used had been totally unrecognizable by the time the demons had gone to fetch them. The only thing left was to buy two other cars since Ciel didn't want to risk bringing her car out and driving since it was easily recognizable.

"Guns ready?" Alois asked and Ciel nodded.

Her guns were hidden inside her boots while Alois had gone for tucking them into his pants.

"We have to be careful. You never know what he might do next" Ciel said.

Sebastian and Claude had opted for casual clothing since their butler uniforms would be easily recognizable to the prince. It was a rare warm day but the wind blew cold enough for Ciel to shiver. They entered the fort and were stopped by a man in a black suit.

"The prince is waiting for you" He said and then turned to lead them inside.

Ciel and Alois held hands and then followed the man. He took them right to the center of the fort where there was a table and chairs set up. Seated on a chair was Prince Charles himself, his face set into a frown.

"Please have a seat, Phantomhive, Trancy" The prince said and Ciel sat down next to Alois.

"Aren't the two of you a charming couple" he commented.

"We're not a couple, just friends. You would know that from the spy you placed outside my house" Ciel said.

"You wound me, Phantomhive. I didn't send a spy. I sent an observer"

"So tell me, why'd you kill my parents?" Ciel asked.

"That's a rather long story and I'm sure you wouldn't like to be bored with the details" The prince replied,

"We have plenty of time. After all, I should die with no regrets" Ciel said and Alois shot her a warning look.

"Just as the Duke Frederick said, you have a rather refreshing way of thinking"

"You knew Frederick?" Alois asked.

"Of course. Let me start at the beginning shall I? I was a rather good child to my parents. I was crowned as next in line and all that crap. Then one day when I met the late Lord Gerald Phantomhive, your grandfather and I met your father who was barely in his twenties. He sat in the meeting with the Queen and made rather defined arguments just like the way you usually do"

"Nice to know I got the skill from him" Ciel said cracking a smile.

"He also believed and trusted people who everyone including me thought were not useful to him at all. One example would be the Undertaker and then he would employ pitiful household servants would never be able to benefit him at all"

"The Undertaker is a very useful person when he wants to be. Anyway, how is it any of your business what my father does?" Ciel asked.

"My duty is to protect Her Majesty. Your father was bent on ruining all that I had tried to do. Then I brought my views on alternative medicine. His argument convinced Her Majesty who decided to reject my idea. This made me furious because after that my mother kept on gushing about the young Lord Phantomhive"

"So in other words, you were jealous?" Alois asked.

"He never seemed to realize how many times he put me down but many times that smirk that he sported showed that he enjoyed putting me down. Then he married his stable hand's daughter. Instead of scorning him, everyone celebrated which made me even angrier"

"Wow, you were jealous of someone who was a normal Earl while you were the crown prince. How ridiculous" Ciel smirked.

"Then you were born and my mother used to have you over at Buckingham Palace. She had decided to bring you the best teachers of the world to teach you. Every afternoon you would play the piano with a special tutor from France. My jealousy had reached its boiling point by the time you turned twelve"

"So you decided to kill all of us" Ciel interjected.

"I sent men to plant bombs and your parents were killed. I knew they would try to save you so I decided to send you a message through Rahim. You survived and I thought that you would be spooked enough and would never enter into the royal family circle ever again. But you went against my plan and retained your title along with Trancy whom my brother Prince Edward had demolished entirely"

"Wait, your brother Edward? My father was killed by his brother" Alois said.

"A childish mistake. Your father was killed by my brother Edward. Under my orders of course" The prince replied.

"So were you jealous of me too? I solved missions with such ease, didn't I?" Ciel asked.

"Of course all those missions were sent by me. I thought Frederick would defeat you but I was wrong. I thought that Kang would get rid of you but he was defeated by you. Then I decided I would kill you"

"You won't kill me today. Not today or even any other day. It's time for you to die" Ciel said.

"Let's play a game shall we?" Charles pulled out a gun and then opened the barrel. He took out five bullets and then spun the barrel which had only one bullet.

"The old fashioned Russian roulette" Ciel chuckled.

"So one shot each?" The prince lifted the gun up to his head and shot. Nothing happened.

He grinned and offered the gun to Ciel. Ciel took it and lifted it up to her head.

"I'll do it" Alois said.

"No, it's my turn" Ciel said. She tugged at the trigger but nothing happened. She sent the gun back.

The prince took it and then lifted the gun up to his temple. He pulled the trigger and nothing happened.

"What if you die?" Alois asked.

"Don't worry, I have damn good luck" Ciel replied with a grin. She shot and nothing happened.

"One each left. Get ready to die, Phantomhive" The prince said.

He smiled and lifted up the gun to point at his temple. Ciel smiled and he grinned as he shot. There was a loud bang and Charles slumped against the table, dead, with blood pouring out of his temple. Ciel grinned in victory while the man in the black suit gaped at her in amazement. Sebastian darted forward and checked for a pulse. There was none.

"Finally Malik has been defeated" The man said.

"Did he rope you into this too?" Ciel asked.

"I've been working for him for the past year after he threatened my wife and kid" The man replied.

"I'll arrange for you to work at my company. Your wife and kid will be completely safe" Ciel said.

"Thank you, Countess" the man replied.

Leaving the body of Prince Charles in the fort was rather easy. The only person who was there for security was the black suited name whose name was Henry.

"With this, our case is finally closed" Alois said as they drove back home.

"He's finally dead" Ciel commented. She leaned against Sebastian and closed her eyes. Sebastian's hand shot up instinctively to stroke her hair.

Alois reached over and took Claude's hand in his. Claude spared him one glance before turning back to the road with a small smile on his face. They got home and turned on the TV. There were no news about the prince but Ciel knew Her Majesty would send out alerts for the crown prince soon.

"So he's dead? Are you sure?" Luke asked.

"I'm sure" Sebastian replied.

"It's finally over" Ciel said closing her eyes and falling asleep right on the couch.

**The story isn't over yet. We still have graduation and a wedding to go to. **


	59. Chapter 59

A year passed...

"I think this growth spurt is a little early" Ciel commented as she threw yet another shirt which didn't fit Luke into the box.

"He's only fourteen and he's already taller than you. That's ridiculous" Alois said folding up a pair of jeans and placing them in another box.

"I suppose we need to adjust his wardrobe for now until he reaches the age of fifteen" Sebastian suggested.

"Hey Sebby, how did you growth spurt happen?" Alois asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how tall did you get when you were Luke's age? You have a rather impressive height" Alois explained.

"Well, a demon's growth is rather different from a human's. We are born after five months of pregnancy and then grow to our full bodies in six years" Sebastian replied.

"But that's your true form right? The horrifying one I'm not supposed to see. So when does the human form come in?" Ciel asked.

"As we grow into our true forms, we can disguise ourselves as we wish" Sebastian replied.

"So can you make a human woman pregnant?" Alois asked.

"Alois" Ciel whined but there was a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"No I cannot. I can only make demonesses pregnant" Sebastian replied and then glanced over at Ciel who looked away from him.

"Can males reproduce too? I mean demon males?" Alois asked.

"I'm afraid not. However, I have heard of some who can but I'm sure those are just rumors" Sebastian replied.

They all worked in silence for a while until they heard the car park in the driveway. Luke had gone shopping for new clothes with Claude and Hannah. The growing teen had insisted on going with Claude stating that going with Alois would be embarrassing.

"I'm home!" Luke said bounding up the stairs. Claude followed at a more sedate pace with the bags.

"What did you get?" Ciel asked tossing another shirt in the box.

"Lots of stuff. Claude got me more clothes in a bigger size in case I get even more taller" Luke replied sitting on his bed.

"That's the last of the jeans" Alois announced.

"I never realized Sebastian bought you this many clothes" Ciel commented.

"Well, he didn't but I kind of insisted. They were all so cool looking" Luke said scratching his head.

"You've never even worn half of these" Ciel said.

"I'll pack the boxes" Claude said walking over to the full jeans box.

"I'm hungry. Let's grab something to eat from the kitchens" Alois said standing up.

"I just had a burger at the mall" Luke said lying down on the bed.

"I'll come down for something to eat" Ciel said standing up.

She stretched and Sebastian's eyes did not miss that sliver of skin that was revealed when her tank top rode up. Luke followed his gaze and then chuckled. Ciel shot him a confused look and then walked out of the room with Alois.

"When you look at her like that, I feel like she's just a lust object for you" Luke commented. Sebastian glanced over at him and Luke continued. "Then I see you kiss her and exchange glances when no one's looking then I see that you really do love her"

"Well I do love her. More than anything" Sebastian said.

"Then why don't you tell her the complications of getting married to you?" Claude asked.

"How do you know about that?" Sebastian asked.

"You forget that you aren't the only one with heightened senses. Will she be willing to leave this life for you? She is successful here by herself. Would she give all this up?"

"Hey, Claude that's a bit out of hand. You know Ciel won't make a wrong decision. You don't have to push your nose into their business. Just worry about your relationship with Alois" Luke said.

"I should leave" Sebastian slipped out of the room avoiding the heated glares Claude and Luke were giving each other.

He walked along the hallways, Claude's words still ringing in his mind. Ciel had accepted to marry him but what if she changed her mind? Sebastian couldn't bear that happening. He closed his eyes and heard Ciel laughing down in the kitchens. The TV was on in the kitchen and she was watching a comedy movie with Alois.

He heard the doorbell ring and then rushed downstairs. He pulled open the front door to see Her Majesty's butler on the threshold. He was dressed all in white and Sebastian spied the seal of the royal family on his right breast pocket.

"Hello, Reynold. Nice to see you again after so long" Sebastian greeted with a close eyed smile.

"You too Sebastian. Her Majesty hasn't had much to give the Countess and Earl since the death of her son. But still, crime never sleeps. Here is the latest letter" Reynold pulled out a letter and handed it to Sebastian.

"Thank you. Would you like some tea before you leave?"

"Oh no, Her Majesty expects me back soon. Thanks for the offer"

Reynold got into the black Mercedes and drove off. Sebastian shut the door and walked down to the kitchens.

"We have a mission from the Queen" He announced before handing the letter to Ciel.

Ciel smiled and then opened the letter. Ever since Prince Charles or Malik died the crime in London had decreased rapidly. Ciel and Alois now received letter every few months rather than every other week.

"A Korean star has come to London for his newest music video shooting. He's quite famous and he was attacked in his hotel room yesterday night. Her Majesty is requesting us to investigate who would attack him and catch him as soon as possible" Ciel said.

"Name of the star?" Alois asked.

"Lee Seung Ri" Ciel replied and then placed the letter back into the envelope.

"I think I've heard of him. He's apparently a really big thing back in Korea" Alois commented.

"Oh well, let's just see what we can do about it" Ciel said.

They all dressed casually and then walked out to the cars. Alois immediately took shotgun when Claude took the driver's seat. Ciel sat down near the window while Luke sat between her and Sebastian. Sebastian glanced over at Ciel who just stared out the window as Claude drove on the streets.

Alois fiddled with the radio and then stopped at a news station.

_'It seems that Korean star; Lee Seung Ri was rather shaken up at being attacked in his very own hotel room last night. Reporters were not able to get close to the Korean star but his manager stated that Lee was unable to speak to reporters because of security reasons' _

"Wow, this guy seems like a wuss" Luke commented.

"It's just to bring in publicity. There's no way he would be that scared. According to his bio he knows martial arts and kendo" Ciel said.

"Which could be a lie to bring in publicity" Alois pointed out.

"True, you never know what celebrities lie about" Luke said.

"We'll just have to see what he really is when we meet him" Ciel said.


	60. Chapter 60

**I just want everyone to know I'm not actually talking about the real Lee Seung Ri from Big Bang. I just borrowed the name. His personality is going to be different and it will be furthering the plot along. **

"I cannot thank you enough. You have really done me a great favor by coming in and investigating the case" Seung Ri's manager, Yoo said.

"_It's not a problem, Mr. Yoo. We're just doing our jobs_" Ciel said in Korean making Yoo grin in happiness.

"_It's not every day that I find a British girl able to speak Korean_" Yoo said.

"So where is the superstar himself?" Alois asked looking around like as if the star was hiding behind the table of the conference room they were seated in.

The doors were pulled open and Ciel winced as they banged against the wall. Standing there with his hands on his slender hips was Lee Seung Ri. He was dressed in black jeans and a rather sparkly and sheer sweater. His hair had been styled so it covered one eye and he strutted in like he owned the place.

"Oh, Seung Ri, these people are here to investigate about the attack" Yoo said with a smile.

"_Hi, I'm Ciel Phantomhive. These are my friends Alois Trancy, Sebastian Michaelis, Luke Trancy and Claude Faustus_" Ciel said.

Seung Ri's visible eye passed over all of them and then stopped when he got to Luke. Luke stared at him and then looked away, fidgeting slightly. Yoo cleared his throat and Seung Ri glanced over at him clearly bored.

"Nice to meet you" He said and then sat down on the chair next to Yoo's.

"So when did this attack happen?" Ciel asked.

"Last night at around midnight. The music video shoot ended rather late because some of the scenes needed to be shot at night. We were done at around ten so everyone decided to have takeaway dinner at the film site. We returned to the hotel and Seung Ri here opened the door to his room. Then he yelled when a man confronted him with a knife. I heard him because I was calling someone and the signal was better in the hallway"

"So you came into the room and then what?" Ciel asked.

"The guy escaped out the window. He jumped from the balcony" Yoo replied.

"Any description on the guy?" Alois asked.

"He was tall with blond hair. I didn't see his eyes and he was dressed all in black. I'm pretty sure he was just some random reporter who wanted a bit of gossip" Seung Ri spoke up.

"Gossip?" Claude asked.

"Seung Ri just came out to the public a few weeks ago. Since then, reporters have been trying to rope him into a scandal with many gay Korean celebrities that he has met. Seung Ri thinks this is what the guy wanted but I think that he is truly in danger" Yoo replied.

"Why are they making it such a big deal? I'm gay, so what?" Seung Ri complained.

Luke twitched slightly and then scooted his chair away from the table. Ciel looked up at Luke who signaled that he had to go to the toilet. Ciel nodded and Luke left the room. He wandered around before discovering that the toilet was just down the hallway. He entered inside and then leaned against the sink.

"He stares at me like a piece of meat. He's such a creep" Luke murmured to himself.

He splashed some water over his face and dried it off with a paper towel. He stayed there for about ten minutes before walking out of the men's room. He stopped short when he saw Seung Ri heading towards him. Seung Ri stopped when he spotted Luke.

"Hey" Seung Ri said with a smile.

Luke replied to him without looking at him. Seung Ri chuckled and then bent so he could look at Luke's eyes. Luke still stubbornly turned his gaze to look at a potted plant in the corner of the hallway. Seung Ri smiled and then took Luke's hand. Luke's head shot up to stare at Seung Ri as the Korean star lifted up Luke's hand and kissed his knuckles.

Luke snatched his hand away and took a few steps back from the Korean star.

"How old are you, darling?" Seung Ri asked with a sweet smile.

"F-f-fourteen" Luke cursed his stuttering. It was a habit that he had whenever he became nervous.

"You're so adorable, you know. If any other guy out there saw you being this adorable, you would be snatched up in an instant" Seung Ri said.

"But I'm not gay. I don't like guys that way" Luke said. He jumped when Seung Ri stepped forward and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Get away from me" Luke said and Seung Ri silenced him with a chaste kiss.

"I'm not gay!"

That didn't deter Seung Ri. Luke twitched when Seung Ri touched the area between his legs. Seung Ri chuckled and made a cupping motion with his hand. Luke had finally had enough and pushed the Korean away.

"I am not gay"

"Keep telling that to yourself darling" Seung Ri placed an arm around Luke and proceeded to lead him back to the conference room.

Luke shrugged the Korean's arm off and ignored the chuckle that followed. He shoved his hands into his pocket and walked faster to the conference room. Ciel looked up when he walked in and then shot him a concerned look when Seung Ri followed with a secretive smile.

"I guess we have all the information we need. We should take our leave" Alois said standing up.

He shook hands with Yoo and Seung Ri. Ciel bowed to them and they all left the room. Luke pulled up his hoodie to cover his face and kept his head bowed. He didn't take off the hood until he was safely in the car and Claude was driving away from the building. Ciel noted this and then nudged Alois who nodded.

They got home and Luke disappeared into his room.

"There's something wrong with him" Ciel commented and Claude nodded.

"Something must have happened to him" Sebastian said.

"I'll go talk to him" Alois said.

He went upstairs and knocked before entering Luke's room. The curtains had been drawn making it very difficult to see with the lights off. There was a lump under the blankets of Luke's bed and Alois peeled them back to find Luke fast asleep with his shoes and socks on. Alois chuckled and then untied Luke's converse to take them off.

He left Luke to sleep and then shut the door. Luke's eyes opened the minute his brother closed the door and then began to cry quietly.

"Did you talk to him?" Ciel asked.

"He was asleep. I'll talk to him after dinner" Alois replied and then sat down next to Ciel.

"So what do you think about this case? Crazy reporter or red blooded assailant?" Ciel asked.

"Nothing was stolen so I doubt it's a reporter. A reporter would dig through everything Seung Ri owned. This guy left everything untouched except for the bottle of water on the nightstand" Alois replied.

"He knew what Seung Ri was going to arrive and hid in the hotel. Then he grew tired of waiting and drank an entire water bottle because Seung Ri's scheduler ended later than he expected. I'd say he was someone close to Seung Ri" Claude said.

"The only one here with Seung Ri is his manager Yoo and his stylist Jang Min Ji" Ciel said.

"If Seung Ri is gay, we can cut the stylist out of the picture. Yoo was with him throughout the day so cut him out too. That leaves us with no one else except the hotel staff" Sebastian pointed out.

"We'll ask the hotel staff tomorrow. As for right now, I'm starving" Ciel said stretching.

"Dinner will be served momentarily. Let us go, little one" Sebastian said with a significant look to Claude

"Who are you calling little, old man?" Claude shot back making Ciel and Alois burst into laughter.

"Sebby just got owned" Alois crowed.

"We must prepare dinner" Sebastian said after a throat clearing.

The butlers left the room and Alois finally stopped laughing. Ciel wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes and then stood up.

"Where are you going?" Alois asked.

"I'm going to wake Luke up. Dinner should be ready soon" Ciel replied.


	61. Chapter 61

Sebastian hummed a tune under his breath as he cleared the plates from the table. Ciel was working in her study, Alois had opted to go to bed early, Claude was in the kitchen with Hannah and the triplets were patrolling out on the grounds. Sebastian pushed the cleanup cart along and then furrowed his eyebrows. Luke's plate that was always empty by the end of dinner was uncharacteristically full.

"Today was his favorite roast beef. He didn't even eat any" Sebastian said to himself as he lifted the plate.

He glanced over and saw with alarm that Luke's water glass was full and his silverware didn't look that he had used it tonight.

"Is he ill?" Sebastian wondered and then placed the full plate on the cart.

He took the cart to the kitchen and reported his findings to Claude. Claude seemed confused about it as well and then said Luke had gone straight to his bed after dinner.

"He might be sick. I'll go and check on him" Sebastian said.

Sebastian turned the doorknob of Luke's bedroom door and discovered it was locked. Luke never locked his room. Sebastian sighed and pulled out the master key of the manor and opened the door. The curtains were drawn and the only light came from Luke's laptop screen which had been left on. Luke himself was fast asleep, light Snores coming from under the covers.

Sebastian sighed and then walked over to the laptop. He noticed the open webpages and pulled on up. His eyes widened as he saw what Luke had been searching.

_Gay man just molested me. _

_What do I do if a gay guy comes onto me and I'm straight?_

_Am I gay if a gay guy likes me? _

Sebastian quickly grabbed the laptop and unplugged it. He walked out of the room and raced down to Ciel's study. Ciel looked up from her documents and raised a brow at the laptop.

"Isn't that Luke's?" she asked.

"He's been behaving rather strange today. He didn't eat anything so I went to see if he was feeling unwell. I saw this on his laptop which was left on after he fell asleep" Sebastian replied.

Ciel pulled the laptop towards her and her eyes widened as she read everything. Then she checked his web history and saw that Luke had been searching about this topics since they got back.

"Do you think, you know, that something happened to him?" Ciel asked taking off her glasses and looking up at Sebastian.

"He was fine before we went to investigate about Seung Ri. He started acting strange after we got home" Sebastian replied.

"So something happened at the company. Did Seung Ri or someone else do something to him?" Ciel asked.

"The only one who can answer that is Luke himself" Sebastian replied.

"Let's wait until morning. I'll tell Alois about this but first I want to talk to Luke. Alois will blow this out of proportion if I tell him" Ciel said.

"I should return this" Sebastian said.

"Don't tell Claude either. He'll tell Alois and I don't want that" Ciel said.

Sebastian nodded and left the room, armed with the laptop. He returned it and then sat down on a chair in Luke's room. No one was going to get near the kid who had been their support system this entire time. The next morning, Ciel came into Luke's room. She shook him awake and then saw the dried tear tracks on his cheeks.

"I know, honey" Ciel said, her eyes filling with tears.

Luke immediately threw himself into her arms and sobbed like a baby. Ciel held him tightly, letting Luke throw away his fears and tears.

"What did he do to you?" Ciel asked quietly.

Luke began narration what had happened through his sobs. Sebastian's fist clenched and Ciel's eyes flared with anger.

"We'll make sure he gets what he deserves. As for now, let's have some breakfast" Ciel said.

"I'm feeling kinda hungry. I couldn't eat anything last night" Luke said.

"I'll tell Claude and Hannah to serve breakfast" Sebastian said and he left the room.

"Nothing will happen to you Luke. You should be glad I found out before Alois" Ciel said.

"I didn't do anything Ciel, I swear. I don't know why he did that to me. I didn't provoke him or do anything that made him pay attention to me" Luke said.

"I know, Luke. I believe you. Don't ever think that this is your fault. None of this is your fault" Ciel hugged Luke tightly and then stood up.

"Let's go have breakfast" She took his hand and led him out of his room.

They ate together in silence. Alois walked in with a large yawn and ran his hand through his hair.

"Good morning" he greeted and then noticed the pensive looks on Ciel and Luke's faces. "What's wrong?".

"Should I tell him or do you want to tell him?" Ciel asked and Luke took a deep breath.

"I was molested at the office yesterday" Luke said.

"What? By who? When? Why didn't you tell me?" Alois fired questions at his brother.

"By Seung Ri. I was leaving the toilet when he did it" Luke replied.

"I'm going to kill the bastard. How dare he? No one touches my little brother like that and gets away with it" Alois grew even more enraged.

"Alois, calm down. There's no way I would ever let Seung Ri get away from this" Ciel said.

"If we want to make a case against Seung Ri then we will need enough evidence. So far all we have is Luke's narration which Seung Ri's lawyer will never believe. He'll think Luke is a child seeking attention. We need something more solid" Sebastian said.

"We need to talk to Seung Ri first" Ciel said.

"And punch the fucking bastard" Alois growled, his fist clenched.

After breakfast, they left for the offices. It wasn't hard to find Seung Ri and Yoo who were apparently having a session in vocals in the recording studio.

"Good morning. You're rather early today" Yoo said.

"We have a couple of questions for Seung Ri, if you don't mind" Ciel replied.

"Of course. He'll be done a about half an hour if you're willing to wait" Yoo said.

They all sat down and Yoo brought coffee for all of them. Luke kept his gaze away from Seung Ri whose attention was drawn away from the vocals coach to Luke as soon as Luke had seated himself. Alois glared at the Korean star who simply smirked.

"I wonder what's wrong with Seung Ri. He usually hits the notes just fine but since he got here he seems to get tired rather fast and he can't really hit the high notes" Yoo commented.

"Maybe the change in environment is affecting him?" Ciel suggested.

"No not really. His attitude and behavior has also changed. Seung Ri is usually rather social and cheerful but now he seems like a loner, just sitting in a corner and texting on his phone" Yoo said.

"Have you noticed anything else strange about him?" Alois asked.

"His taste has changed and his dance moves seem weaker. Usually, he is a rather strong dancer and dresses amazingly. But now everything seems off" Yoo replied.

"I need to go to the toilet. I'll be right back" Ciel said. Sebastian stood up as well and followed her out. Outside the toilet, Ciel revealed her theory to Sebastian.

"I'm sure that isn't the real Seung Ri" Ciel said.

"Whatever do you mean?" Sebastian asked.

"I'm saying that whoever the person in the recording room isn't Seung Ri. I think he's an imposter" Ciel replied.

"If this theory is correct, how do we prove it?" Sebastian folded his arms.

"Let's go home. We'll continue this interrogation some other time" Ciel replied and they headed out.


	62. Chapter 62

"You are crazy" Alois said when Ciel finished telling them her theory.

"I agree" Luke said.

"There's no way that guy is Seung Ri. Seung Ri has a visible Korean accent when speaking English. The imposter has no accent. The imposter is taller and thinner than Seung Ri" Ciel said.

"No one noticed that this isn't the real Seung Ri?" Alois asked.

"Look at this photo" Ciel enlarged a photo of Seung Ri at Incheon International Airport. Alois and Luke looked at the huge screen where the photo was displayed.

"This was when he was leaving South Korea, right?" Luke asked.

"His fashion style is rather nice. The skinny jeans, red and white stripped shirt, dark blue blazer and shades. His hair's styled into spikes" Alois said.

"Now look at this" Ciel enlarged a photo of Seung Ri leaving Heathrow Airport.

"The same clothes and hairstyle. Wait, hold on. Enlarge the photo a bit more" Alois said.

Ciel nodded and Alois held up his hand to stop her. He stepped forward and then pointed at Seung Ri's wrist where there was small red burn.

"How did the burn heal so quickly? He has a burn at Incheon but at Heathrow the burn had vanished" Alois asked.

"Makeup?" Luke suggested.

"You can't put makeup on burns. That irritates it even more" Ciel replied.

"Can you see this as well?" Alois pointed up to Seung Ri's eyebrows.

"There's a hole on his right eyebrow" Ciel noted.

"Seung Ri has never had piercings but here he has a hole showing that he had a piercing done. That's impossible unless someone carries needles on planes" Alois said.

"Do you have a video of him coming out from the airport?" Luke asked.

"Yeah I do" Ciel pulled out the videos and played them side by side.

"Now I can see the change in personalities" Luke said.

"So this Seung Ri is an imposter" Alois concluded.

"But when did this switch up happen? He was there in Incheon but then out from Heathrow came this imposter" Luke asked.

"Did he take a direct flight or did it have a stopover somewhere?" Ciel asked.

"Direct flight. Something must have happened in the airport" Alois replied.

"But airports have strict check-in and customs. There is no way he got out that easily" Luke said.

"So the switch happened in the plane then" Ciel said.

"But how did he get out of Heathrow Airport?" Luke asked.

"That's what I'm wondering" Ciel replied.

Sebastian and Claude who were silent throughout this discussion suddenly straightened up. They both glanced at each other and nodded.

"This switch happened at Heathrow" Claude said.

"Someone should have noticed it then" Luke pointed out.

"The real Seung Ri was kidnapped and the imposter took his place. The question is why? Who would do this?" Ciel asked.

"That answer will be only be known by the impersonator himself" Alois replied.

They returned to the studio and Yoo welcomed them back enthusiastically.

"He's currently finishing up the shoot so you'll need to wait" Yoo said.

"We're fine with waiting. I had an emergency that prompted us to leave" Ciel said.

Luke stayed right next to Claude as they watched Seung Ri. The Korean star or the imposter seemed to have rather passable dance moves.

"Come on, Lee. Let's have some energy!" the director shouted and Seung Ri nodded.

They continued on until Seung Ri had the dance moves perfect on camera.

"Cut! That's it for the day" The director announced and Seung Ri grabbed a towel.

"You guys again?" he said as he walked towards them. His eyes fell on Luke and smirked.

"We need to talk to you. Alone" Ciel said with a significant look to Yoo.

In an empty conference room, Ciel and Alois sat opposite Seung Ri. Seung Ri's eyes would wander around the room and then stop at Luke for a couple of seconds longer and then again begin the cycle anew.

"We know you're not the real Seung Ri" Ciel said.

The imposter sat up straight at this, his eyes wide. His hands fisted and he smiled.

"I'm sorry but I don't know what you're talking about" he said.

"Tell us where you've kept Seung Ri. We'll let you go free if you tell us" Ciel said.

"I'm sorry but you must be confused"

"Cut the crap. Where'd you hide Seung Ri?" Alois asked.

"You all are mad" The imposter said.

Ciel waved Sebastian over and whispered in his ear. Sebastian nodded and stood directly behind the imposter. He placed an ungloved hand over the back of the imposter's neck and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing? Wait..." The imposter slumped over in a deep sleep.

"Wow that was great. Now, why did you knock him out?" Alois asked.

"For this" Ciel stood up and walked over to the guy. She ran her hands through his hair and pulled off the wig revealing short and spiked brown hair. She pulled the guy's head back and removed the contact lenses revealing green eyes.

"Can I have a wet tissue?" she asked Claude who handed one to her. She wiped off the makeup revealing pale skin and a lot of beauty spots on the guy's neck and forehead.

"And we have our imposter. One question, who is he?" Luke asked.

"Call Yoo in here. He needs to know about this and we need to find out where the real Seung Ri is" Ciel replied.

"Oh my god!" Yoo exclaimed when he walked into the room. "Who is he? Where is Seung Ri?"

"This man was impersonating Seung Ri. My guess is that he kidnapped Seung Ri and disguised himself" Ciel replied.

"Get up, you fool!" Alois punched the guy who started awake.

He glanced at Yoo and Ciel and then laughed. "I guess the jig is up".

"Damn right it is" Ciel seated herself on the chair again. "Now tell us why you did all this and where Seung Ri is".

"I didn't do this on my own. I was hired" The guy replied.

"You're obviously half Korean. Why'd you do all this?" Alois asked.

"My name is Nam Frank. I live in London as a thief and art forger. I got an opportunity from one of the bosses to act like this Korean guy and I took it up" the guy replied.

"If you're an art forger you must be after something huge. What is it?" Ciel asked.

"Seung Ri was in South Korea just a few days ago. There at the airport gift shop he bought a music box. To him it was probably worth thirty dollars or less but it was actually an ancient music box dating back to the early eighteenth century England"

"How did an ancient music box end up in Korea?" Ciel asked.

"I don't know. Only three exist in the world. My boss wanted the last one and I couldn't get it by buying it from him. I needed to deliver it and then return Seung Ri back to where he was" Frank replied.

"You did all this for a stupid music box? So where is the music box now? Did you find it?" Ciel asked.

"I don't know. I never found it in Seung Ri's room. My boss was angered that I couldn't find it and sent a guy to threaten me but he couldn't hurt me because I came to the hotel later than expected. I still haven't found the music box" Frank replied.

"So where is this music box?" Ciel asked Yoo.

"Well, Seung Ri did have a package in the waiting lounge but then he had to go to the toilet and left it on his seat. Then the announcement for boarding came and I rushed to find him. I guess I left the music box behind and he never asked me about it" Yoo replied.

"So where is Seung Ri now?" Ciel asked Frank.

"Two of my boss's men and I grabbed him from the toilet in Heathrow Airport. We stripped him and I wore his clothes. I also styled my hair like his and wore those contact lenses. I can't believe Mr. Yoo didn't notice a thing" Frank replied.

"Where did they take him?" Alois asked.

"The fort on the beach where the demon lives" Frank replied.


	63. Chapter 63

"Now doesn't this place look familiar" Ciel said sarcastically making Alois snort in laughter.

"He said Seung Ri would be hidden in the dungeons under the fort where they used to keep prisoners" Luke said.

"He seemed so afraid that there were demons in this fort. Should I have told him that those demons were defeated by us?" Sebastian asked.

"Let's just find him and get out of here" Claude said.

They descended into the basement and Ciel sneezed. It was cold and wet down here. Ciel sneezed again as they found dungeons and Claude opened the doors. In the corner, shivering and only in his underwear was Seung Ri.

"We need to get him to a hospital" Ciel said.

Claude wrapped a robe around him and tied it. Sebastian carried him out while Alois called 911. Ciel kept an eye on Luke as they ran up the stairs and out of the fort. Sebastian rode in the ambulance while the rest followed in the car.

"Are you okay, Luke?" Ciel asked.

"I'm fine" Luke replied glancing over at her and then looking out the window.

At the hospital, Seung Ri was immediately taken by a doctor. After an hour, the doctor announced that he was suffering from severe hypothermia. They had finally gotten his temperature under control and now Seung Ri was being given an IV to restore his energy.

"He'll wake up in a few hours. Until then, we're watching his temperature" The doctor said and then left.

"I'll have to call Yoo. He must be worried out of his mind" Ciel said pulling out here phone.

Alois and Claude decided to return home leaving Sebastian and Luke alone. Luke sank down in one of the chairs outside Seung Ri's room and buried his head in his hands. Sebastian sat down next to him and glanced down at the teen.

"Do you think Seung Ri's like that guy?" Luke asked quietly.

"No. That guy was just an asshole who took advantage of you. There's no point in dwelling about it" Sebastian replied immediately.

"My brother's gay. Does that mean if he didn't have Claude, he would do the same thing as Frank?"

"No, Luke. Your brother would think about the other's feelings before doing anything like that. Not everyone is like Frank. I afraid that there are people like Frank in the world but your brother or Claude are nothing like that" Sebastian wrapped an arm around Luke.

"Do you mind if I sleep a bit?" Luke asked and Sebastian shook his head.

Luke leaned his head on Sebastian's shoulder and closed his eyes. He was asleep in an instant. Sebastian leaned back and moved his shoulder so Luke's head could balance carefully on his shoulder. He heard the click of a camera and looked up to find Ciel smiling with her phone held up.

"You two look cute" She cooed and Sebastian felt an uncharacteristic blush come onto his face.

"Yoo is on his way so we'll leave when he comes back" Ciel said sitting down beside Sebastian.

They headed home soon enough. Sebastian carried Luke up to his room and tucked him into bed. Alois had decided to tackle some last minute homework which Ciel had already finished off.

"I should go help Alois" Ciel said turning to leave. Sebastian grabbed her hand to stop her.

"What is it?" She asked.

"We need to talk" Sebastian replied.

They walked up the stairs and then into the small room where the kittens used to be. Sebastian and Ciel had decided to give them away after Phantom escaped and nearly clawed off the sofas in the sitting room. Ciel desperately wanted to keep him but Claude had put his foot down and refused to keep the kittens any longer.

"What did you want to talk about?" Ciel asked after Sebastian had shut the door.

"We still haven't talked about what I told Alois a few days ago" Sebastian replied.

"And what was it about?" Ciel asked deliberately stalling.

"Ignoring it isn't going to make it go away. Will you give up everything that you have now for me?" Sebastian asked.

"Can I brutally honest?" Ciel asked and at Sebastian's nod, she continued. "I don't think I can give up everything. I have a huge business to run, I still want to go to school and learn, I want to travel the world and I've got so much going for me".

Sebastian's heart sank. "You can still enjoy those things while being a demon".

"I know but how long does it take to adjust the cravings to eat a soul?" Ciel asked.

"It doesn't take long. The younger you are, the quicker you can adjust" Sebastian replied.

"After graduation then. The day after graduation we'll go on a trip. Then you can change me into a demon" Ciel said.

"Are you sure?"

Ciel wrapped her arms around him. "I wasn't sure when I first found out you were the same Sebastian that served my ancestor. I wasn't sure when I received my title back and my old job back. I was sure when I agreed to marry you but I am sure about this. I've never been surer in my entire life".

Sebastian bent down and kissed her softly. Ciel stood on her tiptoes in an effort to deepen the kiss but Sebastian pulled away.

"I love you. I promise never to make you regret this decision" Sebastian whispered.

"Love you too" Ciel said and then leaned up for a proper kiss.

Alois gnawed that the end of his pencil which was immediately plucked out of his hand. The blond looked up and smiled sheepishly at the look of disgust on Claude's face who held the pencil at an arm's length.

"Sorry, it's a habit of mine when studying" Alois said.

"It's a disgusting habit" Claude said throwing the pencil in the trash.

"I know" Alois pulled out another pencil and then began reading again.

"What are you doing? Math? English?"

"World History" Alois replied.

"I thought you dropped that class" Claude said.

"I was going to but then I realized that I wouldn't have enough credits to graduate"

"I was going to ask you about that. What are your plans for graduation?"

"Well so far, Ciel's going to be singing a duet with Darren. Valedictorian went to Rhiannon because Ciel refused. She said she was too busy to think about a speech so it went to Rhiannon. After that, there's going to be the diplomas and then that's it" Alois replied.

"I was thinking of going on a trip. What do you think?" Claude asked.

"A trip? Where?"

"Somewhere nice and sunny. Maybe New Caledonia?" Claude said.

"Oh can I come? It sounds so cool!" Alois said.

"I'm taking you with me. It'll be a romantic trip for the both of us" Claude said.

Alois smiled. It was the first time he had seen Claude do anything romantic. It was rather sweet to see Claude opening up little by little.

"New Caledonia, here we come" Alois said throwing himself into Claude's arms.


	64. Chapter 64

"Oh my god" Ciel exclaimed when she switched on Sky News.

"What the hell?" Alois said his fork and knife falling from his hands.

"Is that us?" Claude asked with concealed shock.

_An anonymous source has claimed that Earl Alois Trancy, the holder of many hearts is actually gay. The source also has pictures of the Earl in a lip lock with no one but his own butler in a car. Is this true? Let us ask some members of his ardent fan club. _

Alois paled as the photo came right up. Claude stiffened as he saw the image. It was of himself with his lips attached to Alois's. Alois's eyes were shut and there was a visible blush on his cheeks. His hand clutched at Claude's black jacket as if holding on for dear life.

"Who did this?" Alois asked, his voice shaking.

"I don't know but we need to stop this from spreading" Luke replied.

"No, don't" Alois said.

"Why?" Ciel asked.

"I was planning to come out soon. Better now than any other day" Alois pulled out his phone and quickly updated his Twitter. Ciel's phone buzzed and she pulled it out.

_AloisTrancy: I am gay, the photo is true. I hope you all can support me. _

Claude wrapped his arms around Alois and hugged him.

"Thank you. I'm sure this is the hardest thing for you to do" Claude said.

"Anything for you" Alois replied and kissed Claude.

"Isn't that cute?" Ciel cooed and Alois blushed as he pulled away from Claude. Luke coughed uncomfortably.

"Time for your appointment with Dr. Melano" Sebastian said glancing at the time.

"I'll be back then" Luke stood up and zipped up his hoodie.

"Let me drive you. I have some work at the company anyway" Ciel said standing up.

They headed out and Ciel drove Luke to his psychiatrist. They had made a decision that Luke should go for therapy until his molesting incident had settled down in his mind. Luke didn't mind and rather enjoyed his time with Dr. Melano. Dr. Melano was a trained professional who dealt with rape cases as well. Luke found her amusing and sarcastic.

"I'll pick you up in two hours okay?" Ciel said.

"Sure. Bye!" Luke turned and walked into the building.

Ciel drove along the roads and then into the Phantomhive-Trancy company headquarters. It was a huge glass building that was built in 1990 but renovated in 2002. She got out of her car and then walked into the building. The doorman saluted her and she sent him a smile. The woman at reception stood up with a smile when she spotted Ciel.

"Hi, Trish. How are you? How are your husband and kids?" Ciel asked.

"I'm great, Ms. Phantomhive. My family is fine. What brings you to the company today?"

"Well, I just needed to check up for this month's financial statements. Is Arnold in? Or even Wren?" Ciel asked.

"Oh Arnold just left for the bank but Wren should be in. I'll just give them a call" Trish leaned over and pressed a button for the switchboard.

Ciel greeted several other people while she was cleaning. Then she spotted an unfamiliar man ride up the elevator.

"Trish, who's that? I don't believe we have any new workers" Ciel asked discreetly pointing to the man.

"He's a student. He's using his free time as a part timer in the finance department. He's a friendly guy and he flirts a lot with the girls down at human resource" Trish replied.

"Is Wren in?"

"Yeah he's there, go right up"

Ciel rode the elevator up and then stopped at the finance department's floor. She pushed the glass door opened catching the attention of several of the workers.

"Ms. Phantomhive. How are you doing?" Wren asked.

"I see you've changed your hair color again. How many times has it been?"

"The sixth this year. I think this shade is rather working for me" Wren said pressing down his dyed white blond hair.

"It does bring out your green eyes" Ciel said.

"I have the financial statements all ready for you. Oh you must meet Roger" Wren said.

"The new guy? I saw him downstairs" Ciel said.

"This is Roger Smith. He's an American student studying at University of West London. He's a part timer too" Wren said.

"Nice to meet you" Ciel shook hands with Roger.

"Likewise" Roger replied.

"She's the head of the company, you know. Ciel Phantomhive" Wren said.

"Earl Trancy is also the head" Ciel said.

"But everyone knows that you run everything" Wren pointed out.

"I should go then. Nice to see you all again" Ciel said.

"You too, Ciel. Finish university quickly and come and take that leather chair in your office" Wren said.

"Then I would never see you. I'd be up there with the managers" Ciel pointed out.

"Oh you have to hang out with us. We'll miss you" Yvonne, another worker said.

"Of course" Ciel said.

She left quickly and then realized that she still had half an hour before she needed to pick Luke up.

"Let me get takeaway pizza. I'm rather tired of fancy food" Ciel said.

She drove to the nearest Pizza Hut and ordered a few pizzas to go. While she was waiting, she watched the news on TV.

"Look it's Countess Ciel" she heard someone say behind her.

"I feel so sad for her. She must be so hurt by hearing that her boyfriend is gay"

"Or she could have been hiding it for him. All celebrities have beards nowadays"

Ciel clenched her fist. It was worse hearing things like from people. She had never been Alois's girlfriend. How dare they say that?! Her pizzas came quickly and she walked out of there amid whispers. She drove to Dr. Melano's office and picked up Luke.

"Dr. Melano took me outside today. She said I needed a day out for a change in environment" Luke said as Ciel drove back to the manor.

"That's nice. I got you and Alois pizza for dinner" Ciel said.

Alois ran a hand through his blond hair as he read the comments on Internet articles. Most of them were supporting him but quite a lot were calling him a fag or a queer. He swallowed as he read a lengthy comment by one viewer who actually called him disgusting and that he should just drop off the face of the earth.

A hand reached out and closed the laptop. Alois looked up and Claude shook his head.

"It's not fair. Why do people care so much? Why do I care so much about what people say? They're just pricks, the lot of them. I swear if I ever saw one of them on the street, I'd knock them out" Alois's unshed tears flowed down his face.

"I'm sorry" Claude said with his head bowed.

"What are you sorry for?"

"I didn't pay attention to our surroundings before kissing you. This would never have happened" Claude replied.

"So what? I had to come out some day. Better now than never" Alois said.

"What I'm most worried about is school. St. Rudolph's Academy is a Christian school. You would be bullied by not only the students but the teachers too"

"I'm not worried. Finals are over and they can't refuse me my diploma or refuse to let me graduate" Alois said.

"Just be careful" Claude said.

Alois gave him a reassuring kiss. "Nothing will happen".


	65. Chapter 65

"A speech? At St. Rudolph's middle school?" Ciel asked Mr. Matthews.

"This is a rather amazing opportunity. You are eighteen but you are the head of a company. The middleschoolers will be able to relate to you better. Since you're not valedictorian, it would be great to make a speech about leadership and the law" Matthews said.

"Didn't my aunt always do the speech? Why couldn't you find anyone else?" Ciel asked.

"I couldn't think of anyone else, Ciel. I was hoping for you to agree" Matthews replied.

Ciel bit her lip and then sighed. "Fine I'll do it".

A few days later, she found herself at St. Rudolph Academy's middle school. She had never studied at the middle school since she had moved here and started at St. Rudolph's high school. The campus was similar but the students here were noisier and smaller. Ciel sighed as she walked along the hallways by herself.

She spotted a small child of around ten standing in the middle of a deserted hallway. He was staring straight at her with his large dark eyes. Ciel furrowed her eyebrows and then walked towards the kid.

"Hey, what's your name?" Ciel asked placing a hand on the kid's shoulder.

The kid didn't answer but stared at her. Ciel began feeling a little creeped out and then heard footsteps in the hallway.

"Ciel! It's time for your speech!" Matthews said.

Ciel turned and then felt a hand claw at hers. She turned and saw the kid was gone. She glanced down at her hand where blood was oozing out from a horizontal cut on her wrist. She pulled out a tissue and held it to the wound. She glanced around the hallway and then turned to follow Matthews out.

She began her speech by speaking about leadership and how important it was. The students listened to her with rapt attention and many laughed at her sarcastic remarks as well. As she concluded her speech, she spotted the strange boy seated on the last seat, right by the door.

The students began clapping as Ciel left the podium. She kept a sharp eye on the boy who snuck out the door the minute Ciel sat down. Ciel leaned over and told Matthews she was going to the toilet. She walked around the hallways and then spotted a shadow disappear into the school science lab. She entered and then saw the boy crying with his face in his hands.

"Hey, is something wrong? Are you hurt?" Ciel asked walking towards him.

"I'm not crying because I'm hurt. I'm crying because no one knows the truth" The boy replied.

"What are you talking about?" Ciel asked.

"My death wasn't an accident. I was murdered" The kid replied.

"What's your name?"

"My name was Shankar Narayan" The kid replied.

"But you're not Indian" Ciel pointed out.

"I was Indian. In my past life, I was murdered. Everyone thinks it was an accident but it wasn't"

"Are you sure you haven't hit your head somewhere?"

"Even you don't believe me. I thought being the Queen's Dog you would help me. I want the world to know the truth. It's not fair that everyone thinks I died in an accident. I was murdered. I was a priest in a temple on the outskirts of London"

"What's your name now?"

"Damon Gallagher" He replied.

"Damon! What are you doing here? You should be at the assembly" A teacher walked into the lab.

She took Damon by the hand and dragged him away. Damon turned and focused his large dark eyes on Ciel. She shivered. These weren't eyes of an innocent child. They were eyes of a mature person who knew much in his life. She bit her lip and then decided that she should try investigating this case.

"You can't trust a small child. He could have been fooling you" Alois said.

"You should have seen him, Alois. He was so sad and determined. His eyes blew me away. He sounded mature and I could see that he had maturity beyond his years" Ciel said.

"How can someone have a past life? That's ridiculous" Alois said.

"Then how do you explain us? We have memories of our own past lives. This kid does too" Luke pointed out.

"You don't but we do" Ciel corrected.

"Because I died when I was too young. I probably didn't remember much myself" Luke said.

"How can this kid know about an Indian priest? He must have read about the case somewhere and he's blathering about it now" Alois asked.

"Shankar Narayan was a priest who worked at a temple in the outskirts of London. He died in an accident. I found these details in a police report. The area where he lived is rather densely populated so his death wasn't reported in newspapers or on TV" Sebastian said.

"So he's not faking it. He might really be the reincarnation of Shankar Narayan" Ciel said.

"We need to pay him a visit then" Alois said.

Damon Gallagher and his mother Anne lived in small apartment in London. Anne was a single mother working as a manager at Boots. She earned enough for a single mother and Damon seemed to have the latest gadgets around his home.

"Damon, honey? Ciel and Alois are here to meet you" Anne said knocking on the door of Damon's room.

"I'll only speak to Ciel" Damon replied from inside.

Ciel opened the door and then closed it behind her. Damon sat on the bed colouring at a drawing. She looked around the room and saw many drawings stuck on the wall with tape. Then she noticed that one wall was devoid of pictures but there were stains on the paint that Ciel recognized as tape marks. Ciel sat down on the bed and then peeked at the drawing.

"So you believe me now?" Damon asked.

"Yeah I do. I need you to tell me more about your past life" Ciel replied.

"I don't remember much but I draw what I remember" Damon reached out and pulled out two drawings that he had hidden under his sheets.

"Are these the only ones?"

"Mum threw away the rest that I stuck on the wall over there. She said it's not good to draw stuff like this" Damon replied.

Ciel gazed at one drawing. It was a large Indian temple that she had seen many times in textbooks during World History.

"That's the temple where I worked" Damon said.

"And this?" Ciel pointed at a drawing of a man at the bottom of a pit.

"That's me" Damon pointed at the man. "I drowned at the bottom of the lake".

Ciel's eyes widened and there was a knock on the door. Damon grabbed the drawings and slid them under the sheets.

"Damon, time to go to the psychiatrist" Anne said.

Damon stood up and then walked out of the room. Ciel stood up and then turned. She took the drawings and left the home with Alois.

"We've got drawings and this kid is the reincarnation of Shankar Narayan. How did he die?" Alois asked as Ciel drove back.

"That's a question that can be answered. We need to go to the temple where he used to pray and live" Ciel replied, her eyes narrowed on the road.


	66. Chapter 66

"I thought there was supposed to be a temple here" Ciel said staring at the hotel.

"It used to be to a temple. After the priest of this temple died, the land was taken by a man named Ladakh who converted it into a hotel" Sebastian replied.

"How could a place of worship be turned into a hotel? What happened to all the temple goers and the other priests?" Luke asked.

"Excuse me?" Alois grabbed the arm of a passerby. "Do you know what happened to the priest here?"

"I wouldn't know but my father might. He's lived in this area since high school" The passerby replied.

He led them to a pharmacy where a man in his mid forties was serving a customer.

"Hey dad, these people were asking about the temple"

"Mahesh, go and organize the stock" the man said and Mahesh left. "So what can I do for you?" the man turned to Ciel and the rest.

"We were hoping that you would tell us about the temple. We heard it was a rather amazing place but we didn't know that it had been converted to a hotel" Ciel said.

"Call me Raj. I never went to the temple much. I used to go when I had time which was very rare. There used to be a priest there who was a very loyal devotee to Lord Krishna and the rest of the Indian Gods. He was always encouraging me to come to temple more often"

"Was he Shankar Narayan?" Alois asked.

"Yes. It was rather unfortunate that he died" Raj replied.

"Was there anyone he was rather close to?" Ciel asked.

"He had a son named Birju and a servant named Bhola. Bhola was a gambler but Shankar took him under his wing and Bhola became the most pious man anyone had ever seen. Birju went to the city to study and never returned after his father died" Raj replied.

"Was anyone threatening him at that time?" Ciel asked.

"Ladakh was a bother to Shankar. Ladakh wanted the land that the temple was built on but with the amount of devotees and disciples the temple had, he couldn't do anything to Shankar. When Shankar died, the devotees abandoned the temple and the land was taken by Ladakh" Raj replied.

"Where does Ladakh live?" Alois asked.

"Two streets away in the huge mansion. You can't miss it" Raj replied.

Instead of taking the car, they all decided to walk to Ladakh's mansion. Then a woman dressed in a blue sari bumped right into Claude.

"I apologise, madam" Claude said.

The woman stared at him in shock and then wrapped her arms around him. Claude's eyes widened as the woman began to cry against his chest.

"My son. My dear son" the woman cried.

"I'm sorry madam, but I am not your son" Claude said.

"I know that it's you. You were taken away from me when you were three but you've come back to me" The woman said.

Then a teenage girl came running up to them and pulled the woman away from Claude.

"I'm so sorry. She always does this to every young man. I'm truly sorry" The girl said and then led the woman away.

"Well that was rather peculiar" Ciel commented.

"Let's go" Claude said brushing his jacket off.

Ciel and the rest were rather shocked when they saw the mansion. It was the same size as theirs but it was more ostentatious. The guard outside went inside to announce them and then they entered. Ciel wrinkled her nose at the sight of a fat man with a cigar hanging from his lips. A maid moped the floor around him and she stilled when she saw Ciel and the rest.

The man reached for his glass of juice and then spilled it onto the floor.

"You missed a spot" he told the maid who nodded and began moping up the mess.

"Are you Ladakh?" Ciel asked stepping forward.

"Depends on who wants to know" He replied, his eyes raking over Ciel's body.

"Does the name Shankar Narayan mean anything to you?" Alois asked.

"Not that old geezer again. He's dead. Why are you bothering with him now?"

"We know that you wanted his land quite desperately. Was that a reason for killing him?" Ciel asked.

"Killing him? I didn't kill him. His son came to me and handed me the papers that showed that Shankar had transferred the land over to me. Then Shankar's son left for the city and never came back. I heard that he died because he slipped near the lake and fell in. He couldn't swim and it was rather early in the morning so he drowned" Ladakh replied.

"We'll be back later for some more questions. Until then, have a nice day" Alois said.

In the car, Ciel rubbed her aching forehead. This case was getting more and more confusing by the minute.

"So Shankar transferred the land before he died. His son brought the papers over and left for London. What happened to Bhola in this situation?" Alois asked.

"We need to find Bhola then" Luke replied.

They went back to Raj who told them that Bhola was now a priest at a smaller temple near the hotel. He had built it with what money he had and was trying to continue what Shankar had taught him. Ciel and the rest entered the small temple. A man was praying and reciting verses in a different language to the idols. A warm scent of incense was wafting throughout the room and the wind was cool.

"Are you Bhola?" Ciel asked.

The man paused in his prayers and then stood up. He turned to them and smiled.

"Yes I am Bhola. What can I do for you?"

They sat down on the mats and Bhola served them all with tea. He began relating about his life before Shankar and then after he met Shankar.

"Everyone left the temple because Shankar wasn't there. He had a natural pull that brought people here. I try to do the same but I can't. Ladakh snatched everything away from us. He even took my daughter away to make her into a maid at his mansion"

"Does she have black hair with brown eyes? She's short but she has a mole on her upper lip?" Ciel asked.

"Yes, that's her. Ladakh took her away from me after Shankar died. If you would not mind, please bring her back to me. I have no money to negotiate with Ladakh but he might listen to you" Bhola said.

Outside the temple, they regrouped. Ciel, Sebastian and Luke decided to negotiate with Ladakh while Alois and Claude went to find the details of the land. Ciel entered the mansion and immediately sensed something was wrong. She heard a scream from upstairs and then ran up the stairs.

Sebastian and Luke followed her up and Ciel threw open the door of the master bedroom. Bhola's daughter was screaming as Ladakh tore her clothes off.

"Get off her!" Sebastian grabbed Ladakh and threw him off of Bhola's daughter.

Ciel grabbed a robe from the closet and helped Bhola's daughter wear it to recover her modesty.

"Such a pathetic man does not deserve to exist" Sebastian said with a frown.

"Leave him be. Let's take her back to Bhola" Ciel said.

Tears were shed when Bhola was reunited with his daughter Seeta. Ciel couldn't stop her own tears as Bhola blessed all of them with holy water. Then a phone call made them rush back to the mansion.


	67. Chapter 67

"So you betrayed your father?" Ciel asked Birju.

"I was tired of Ladakh. So I went and got the land transfer papers and told my dad it was a contract for my apartment in the city. He signed it and I gave it to Ladakh" Birju replied.

"So what happened after your father died?" Alois asked.

"Well, I got a phone call from one of my friends from the temple. He told me that my father was dead and according to tradition I had to perform the last rites and cremate him. By the time I got there, Bhola had already cremated him and thrown his ashes into the river" Birju replied.

"So who found your father's dead body?" Ciel asked.

"Bhola did. He pulled my father out of the water when my father didn't come back from his daily cleansing in the lake" Birju replied.

They left the house and Ciel began thinking. All the stories seemed to match up and everyone's alibis were perfect.

"Bhola was saying the truth, he pulled the body out. But I think he pushed Shankar into the lake" Ciel said.

"The only person who could answer that would be Bhola himself" Sebastian said.

They returned to the temple and spoke with Bhola.

"Yes I pushed him. He betrayed me by giving the land over to Ladakh. Ladakh had even given him fifty percent of the profits. After all that he taught me, he went and sold everything" Bhola replied.

"You betrayed the person who was tricked by his own son. Birju was the one who transferred the land and because of that you killed an innocent man who only ever tried to guide you" Ciel said.

Bhola hung his head as he realized his mistake. He was arrested and sentenced to jail for life. A few days later, Ciel went to visit Damon. He was quite happy to see her and became even happier when he learned that they had found Shankar Narayan's killer.

"I don't have any weird dreams anymore. The psychiatrist even said that I don't have to attend sessions with her" Damon said with a big smile.

"Good. Now remember to always work hard. I was able to solve this through hard work and persistence. I trust you to do the same" Ciel said.

"Thank you" Damon said and Ciel smiled at the thankfulness in his eyes.

"You're welcome" Ciel hugged Damon tightly.

Alois smiled as he looked through the photos in his phone. One in particular made him grin. The photo had been taken by Alois when they were leaving the little area around the temple. Claude had specifically taken time to go and visit the woman who had called him her son.

"I didn't know you cared so much" Alois commented.

"I might look emotionless but I do have kindness. Her son was taken away from her and who knows where he is now. It was the least I could do" Claude replied as he straightened his butler coat.

"That's why I love you. It wasn't your looks but your heart that brought me to you" Alois said.

Claude smiled and then swooped down to kiss his beloved.

Luke sighed as his phone began ringing. He was trying to finish a painting up but he didn't seem to get any ideas in his mind about colors. He had forgotten to put his phone on silent mode, something that he usually did while painting.

He picked up the phone and then furrowed his eyebrows. This was a number that he didn't recognize.

"Hello?"

"Is this Lucas Trancy?" A heavily accented voice asked.

"Yes. Who are you?" Luke asked.

"I am calling on behalf of Arran Parker"

"Arran? What about him?"

"He wishes to meet you. How does Friday at four at Seishun Gardens sound?"

"This Friday? Sure, I can come along. Bye" Luke hung up.

He placed his phone on the desk and then sat down in front of his half completed painting. As far as Luke knew, Arran had been given a year of jail and six months of community service for involvement in murder. Arran now lived in a traditional Japanese home with his sensei and other students like him. Why would Arran want to meet Luke? Why not Ciel or Alois?

That Friday, he made up an excuse to Alois that he needed to do a project for art class and that he was going to Seishun Gardens for some sketching. Alois had told him to take Claude along but Luke refused.

"I'll be fine. I'll be back by six" Luke said.

He took the bus to Seishun Gardens. It was private garden but it was very beautiful. The trees and plants made the place look so tranquil and peaceful. Luke had wished many times to enter but the guards always refused him. This time the guard asked him his name and then let him in.

"Down that pathway is Yukimura-san's temple" The guard said.

Luke walked nervously to the temple but the peacefulness of the area around him soon made him smile and forget his fear. He heard the gentle lull of water and spotted water flowing into a bamboo shoot. Soon the bamboo shoot grew heavy and then tipped over to flow water into the garden.

"Peaceful isn't it?" A voice asked.

Luke turned around and then smile when he spotted Arran. Arran had grown taller and broader, probably from the increased training. His brown hair was longer now and tied back into a neat plait but some strands still fell into his eyes. He was dressed in his traditional robes of black with red trim. On his right shoulder, a red dragon had been embroidered carefully. His sword was strapped at his waist but Luke knew there were hidden knives in his pockets.

"It is. It's nice to see you again, Arran" Luke replied.

"You've changed. I remember the little Luke who used to hug me every time he saw me" Arran said.

Luke stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the taller boy. "I'm still that same little Luke". He said with his voice muffled.

"Come, let me give you a tour" Arran said once they pulled away.

Luke walked beside Arran feeling totally comfortable. Arran had been his idol when Luke had been younger but now he felt like a comrade and friend.

"Did you continue your training?" Arran asked, glancing over at the ginger haired boy.

"Yeah. It wasn't as interesting as it was when you used to teach me" Luke replied with a smile.

"I live here now. Yukimura sensei was grateful to have someone to lead the younger ones. It's nice here. It's quiet and peaceful and Yukimura sensei is very wise. He keeps everyone in line" Arran said.

"It is a beautiful place" Luke agreed.

Arran stopped and bowed low to man dressed in navy blue robes. Luke feeling slightly nervous bowed as well. The man nodded and then walked away.

"That is Chitose-san. If Yukimura sensei is the master, then Chitose-san is his right hand man" Arran said.

"He looks rather scary" Luke commented.

"He is, he hates slackers and lazy people. If you don't do something right, he gives you a spinning kick" Arran said.

"Wow"

They walked ahead and then reached a small clearing. Seated in a meditation stance was a man wearing pure white robes.

"That's Yukimura-sensei" Arran said.

Luke nodded and Yukimura stood up. Arran walked towards him and Luke followed him. Yukimura turned and Luke was taken aback. The only word to describe Yukimura was 'ethereal'. The master had pale skin and beautiful lavender eyes. His hair was black, darker than Sebastian's but his eyes were so kind and compassionate, they made Luke feel loved.

"Good afternoon, Yukimura sensei" Arran bowed low. Luke followed Arran and bowed.

"Good afternoon, Choi. Who is this young man?" Yukimura's voice was strangely feminine but it was too low to be a woman's.

"I'm Luke Trancy. I used to train under Ar-Choi" Luke replied.

"You are a very eager and enthusiastic young man. It is rare to see such innocence in a man your age. However, something tampered your innocence" Yukimura sensei said.

Luke frowned and then looked away. Yukimura reached out a pale and graceful hand to tilt Luke's chin up. Luke's brown eyes caught the lavender eyes of Yukimura.

"Do not worry. Your savior is here" Yukimura said, his eyes shifting to Arran who shuffled uncomfortably.

Luke nodded and Yukimura let him go. "Take him for some tea with Yanase-san. I need to finish up my meditation".

"Yes sensei" Arran bowed again and then led Luke away from the clearing.

Luke rubbed his arms and then turned around to Yukimura. The sensei smiled at Luke before settling down and beginning his meditation again. Things would be getting interesting soon.

**The idea for this chapter was given by sebby101. Thanks for giving me an idea to continue this story. Lots more coming soon. Don't forget to review!**


	68. Chapter 68

"Is there any milk tea? I'm allergic to green tea" Luke said apologetically to Yanase-san who nodded silently and then left them.

"I didn't know you were allergic to green tea" Arran said taking a sip of his tea.

"When you left, I found the packs of tea in the trash. I brewed some with Hannah and drank it. It gave me rashes all week" Luke replied.

Yanase-san returned and placed a cup of milk tea in front of Luke who thanked him.

"You must be wondering why I called you her" Arran said.

"Yeah I am. It would have been better to call Ciel or Alois. Why me?" Luke asked.

"I heard you were involved in a case with Nam Frank who was impersonating Lee Seung Ri. Ciel accused him of molesting you. I wanted to know how you were dealing with it" Arran replied.

"I'm going to a psychiatrist twice a week and it's been great to talk about it. I'm glad he didn't go any further otherwise I would have been traumatized" Luke replied.

"You've become so mature. I'm older than you but I can't forgive a person who did that to you" Arran said.

"It's not the case of forgiving. I got closure and moved on. Life goes on" Luke said.

"You sound like Yukimura sensei when you say that" Arran commented.

"Did someone say Yukimura sensei? Where?" a head popped up from the flower bushes and Luke choked on his tea.

"Good afternoon Hikaru" Arran said.

"Hi Choi. Have you seen Ibu around?" Hikaru was a red head with deep blue eyes like the ocean.

"I think he was practicing his new move behind the temple" Arran replied.

"Thanks!" Hikaru ran off.

"Hikaru's new here. He was taken in by Yukimura sensei after his father died. His father was American but his mother was Japanese. He's a little troublesome but since he befriended Ibu, his behavior's been better" Arran explained.

"How many of you are here?" Luke asked.

"There's me, Yukimura sensei, Chitose-san, Yanase-san, Hikaru, Ibu, Akira, Tsukiro and Sakura" Arran replied.

"Where do you guys get the money to run this place?" Luke asked.

"I do have a day job at a few flower shops. Tsukiro and Sakura work at a hospital, Ibu and Hikaru teach classes down at the gyms while Akira just assists Yukimura sensei. Chitose-san is a coach at a high school nearby and Yanase-san works at a restaurant" Arran replied.

"You must work hard" Luke commented.

"No one wants this place to be taken away. It's like our little sanctuary" Arran replied with a serene smile.

"So tell me about Tsukiro and Sakura" Luke said.

"Tsukiro came here with Sakura. Both are orphans and they got scholarships to the top medical university in the country. They are now both fully qualified doctors who bring in most of the money to run this place"

"Tsukiro is male and Sakura is a female right?"

"They got married last year" Arran replied and Luke nodded.

"Isn't Yukimura sensei married?" Luke asked.

"He was, Ibu and Akira are his kids. He loves them more than anything. Ibu looks a lot like him with the lavender eyes but his hair is less darker than Yukimura sensei's. Akira looks like Yukimura sensei's wife, Kaho" Arran replied.

Time passed quickly as Luke spoke to Arran. He checked his watch and realized it was already five thirty.

"I have to go now. I told Alois I'd be back by six" Luke said.

"When can you visit again?" Arran asked standing up.

He walked over to small fountain and began washing their cups. Luke followed him, fidgeting with the end of his shirt.

"I don't know. This place is so peaceful and amazing but I can't keep lying to my brother" Luke replied.

"You can tell him what you're doing. He knows I would never do anything to you" Arran said.

"Then if he agrees, I'll meet you on Sunday at one. We'll spend the whole afternoon together"

"Of course" Arran smiled.

Luke returned home with a big grin on his face. Throughout dinner he kept on recalling the peacefulness of the garden and the contented smile on Arran's face. He kept humming along to some tune which made Ciel and Alois stare at him in surprise.

"You seem to be in a good mood" Ciel commented.

"I met Arran in the garden. We had fun just talking and catching up" Luke said.

"Arran? I thought he lived in the other side of the city" Ciel said.

"He lives there with his sensei and some other students and teachers. He said I could come by Sunday" Luke said, looking pleadingly at his brother.

"Fne you can go but be back by four" Alois relented.

"Yay!"

Ciel chuckled at how cute Luke was being. Even though he had grown taller and seemed more mature, his childlike side always seemed to reveal itself in some time. Like a small child. That night in her study, she finished her work as early as possible. She brought up her laptop and then typed 'babies' on Google.

A lot of pictures came up. One baby in particular caught her eyes. She didn't know if it was natural or not but the baby had beautiful midnight blue eyes and a shock of black hair. It was a cute baby girl but she seemed to be almost smirking as she waved her fists to the camera.

"Oh, this is rather interesting" Sebastian said and Ciel slammed the laptop screen down, a dark red blush of embarrassment appearing on her cheeks.

"What?" She asked, proud of herself for not stuttering.

"Nothing just that the woman who said she didn't want kids is actually looking for baby pictures" Sebastian replied with a smirk.

"So what? I'm a woman too" Ciel said and then lifted up the laptop screen to reveal the picture.

"She's rather cute" Sebastian commented, walking in and leaning down to the picture.

"Do you think our baby would be that cute?" Ciel asked wistfully, leaning her chin on her palm.

"No"

Ciel looked up at Sebastian indignantly.

"She would be the most perfect baby in the world"

Ciel sealed his proclamation with a kiss.


	69. Chapter 69

Luke arrived earlier than he was expected to on Sunday. He had brought his sketchpad and pencils with him so that if Arran was busy, he could entertain himself. He entered the garden and smiled. Even after visiting this place more than once, he still felt the same peacefulness and satisfaction.

He made his way to the temple and saw that it was deserted. Yanase-san was at the fountain washing tea cups but there was no one else around.

"Excuse me, I'm here to see Ar- I mean Choi" Luke said to the silent tea maker.

"He's training in the grounds with Yukimura sensei. Follow that path there" Yanase-san said.

"Thank you"

Luke walked along the path and soon could hear the telltale signs of a sword fight. He sped up and then found Yukimura and Arran fiercely sparring with each other. Arran's movements to Luke had always seemed graceful but Yukimura sensei's were the epitome of grace. There was a chilling look in Yukimura's kind eyes that scared Luke.

Luke watched them in awe. Yukimura was pale and feminine but his current shirtless body proved that he was just as manly as any other male. Luke watched the sweat pour off of their bodies like water. He blushed when he realized he had been watching Arran's muscles ripple as he dealt with blow after blow from Yukimura.

Finally, Yukimura managed to defeat Arran who grunted when he hit the floor. He stood up and they both bowed to each other. Luke took this moment to compose himself and then step forward.

"Good afternoon, Yukimura sensei" Luke bowed and Yukimura ruffled the younger boy's hair.

"Good afternoon, Luke. I hope you enjoyed the little show we put on"

"Yeah, it was amazing. You two were so fast and I was afraid to blink in case I missed something" Luke replied.

"Well, I need to speak to Chitose. I shall see you later then" Yukimura walked off.

"I'll need to change. I stink" Arran said apologetically.

"I don't mind waiting" Luke said with a silly smile.

He waited outside the temple, sketching while he waited. Then he heard someone talking as they came closer to him.

"I'll bet Choi's boyfriend's back again. Where did Choi find him anyway?"

"Maybe the old high school he used to attend. The guy looks like a high schooler"

Luke closed his sketchbook and then stood up. With his new height, he could see exactly who was talking about him. He recognized the black hair but he didn't recognize the other boy.

"That black haired boy might be Ibu but who's the other guy?" Luke asked himself.

"Ready to go?" Arran asked walking out of the temple, tying his yukata as he went.

"Yeah" Luke replied.

As Arran led him through the different pathways, Luke focused on the conversation he had heard. Why did those guys call him Arran's boyfriend? It wasn't like Arran was gay. He had been in love with Ciel. Wait... Luke looked up at Arran. Was Arran still in love with Ciel? Luke felt his heart clench as the possibility ran through his mind.

"Do you want to go and meet Ciel and Alois? They want to meet you" Luke asked.

"Maybe some other time. This time is just for you and me" Arran replied taking Luke's hand.

They walked along, not even bothering to separate their hands. Luke could feel his speeding heartbeat calm down by looking at the peaceful smile on Arran's face.

"Can you call me by my given name?" Arran asked stopping and turning to Luke.

"Your given name? What is it?"

"Kunimitsu"

"Yeah, I can do that" Luke replied with a smile.

Arran smiled and they continued their walk. They heard music coming from somewhere and then followed the sound. They found a man with black hair playing a flute. Luke closed his eyes to lose himself to the music.

"Good afternoon, Tsukiro-kun" Arran said.

The music stopped as Tsukiro looked up at Arran and Luke. Luke opened his eyes and saw Tsukiro staring at him appraisingly.

"I'm Luke Trancy. Nice to meet you" Luke said with a short bow.

"You're so cute" a girl came out from behind a tree and pinched Luke's cheeks.

"This is Sakura, Tsukiro's wife" Arran said.

"Nice to meet you" Luke said with a bow which made Sakura squeal even more.

"Let's go have lunch. I know Yanase-san's making sushi today" Sakura said.

"Sure. I've never tried sushi but I'm always open to new things" Luke said.

The four of them made their way to the temple where Yanase-san had already set out plates for everyone. Chitose-san was already seated directly right of the head of the table. Luke assumed that seat was for Yukimura sensei. Yanase placed the food on the table and then sat down opposite Chitose, left from the head of the table.

Ibu and another unfamiliar boy who Luke assumed to be Yukimura's other son Akira, sat down beside Chitose and Yanase respectively. Sakura and Tsukiro both sat beside Ibu while Hikaru took the place next to them. Arran sat down beside Akira and Luke took the invitation to sit next to him.

"I haven't introduced you to Ibu and Akira yet. Ibu, Akira this is Luke Trancy" Arran said.

"We know Choi. We saw him today" Ibu said. His voice as feminine like Yukimura's but while the sensei's was full of kindness and compassion, Ibu's was strangely flat and bored.

"He looks plain anyway" Akira said. Akira had the same black hair like Ibu but his eyes were a strange shade of green. He looked bored but strangely beautiful.

Luke flushed but Choi squeezed his hand under the table in reassurance.

"So, Luke-kun. Do you go to school?" Chitose asked. Luke gulped when Chitose's focused gaze landed on him.

"Yes, I'm fourteen and I am going to high school. I was hoping to begin a career in art and design" Luke replied ignoring Akira's snigger.

"What do you think of the architecture of the temple?" Chitose asked.

"It is beautiful. It looks like I've been transported in the age of the samurai. I can tell it is a century old but it has been renovated three times. Half of it looks like it's been fitted with pipes and running water while the rest of it looks very traditional" Luke replied.

Chitose nodded and Arran smiled. It seemed that Luke had gotten Chitose-san's approval.

"Good afternoon, everyone" Yukimura walked up the steps and seated himself with a swirl of his robes.

"Good afternoon" Everyone chorused.

"So let us pray before we eat" Yukimura clasped his hands together. The rest did the same and Yukimura began reciting something in Japanese. His voice sounded like music to Luke. They began eating.

"That's sea eel. It's really good" Arran said.

Luke took a bite and smiled. "It really is good, Kunimitsu".

Akira and Ibu started. Their chopsticks fell from their hands. The entire table turned to stare at them. Both turned to Luke and glared at him. Luke shrank back from their gazes and Arran threw his left arm out as if to shield Luke.

"He's calling you by your given name. The filthy outsider" Ibu spat.

"You shouldn't say that about a guest" Sakura said.

"He doesn't belong here. I don't like him" they both said and then lifted up their plates. They were about to throw it at Luke when a hand caught each wrist.

Both turned and then froze when the chilling gaze of their father met them. The plates fell from their hands. Ibu's was caught by Chitose-san and Akira's was caught by Yanase-san. Yukimura's glowing aura seemed to have faded and was replaced by pure anger.

"Ibu, Akira. Both of you will not have lunch or dinner today. Go and train all that fifty movements I taught you yesterday. You know very well what I do with students who don't listen to me" Yukimura said.

"Yes sensei" Ibu and Akira said. They glared at Luke and then walked away from the table.

Yukimura then turned to bowed his head to Luke, "I am truly sorry. I don't know what has come over them".

"No need to apologise. It's fine" Luke replied but his voice was still shaking.

Later...

"What's with them? What did I do that they were so mean to me?" Luke asked.

"They don't like the idea of people from outside coming here. They feel threatened" Arran replied.

"How am I a threat? I'm just a fourteen year old kid!"

"I know, I know. That's why I took the rest of the afternoon off and decided to come visit Ciel and Alois" Arran said.

"Really? That'd be great!"

Luke ignored the sinking feeling in his gut when they got to the mansion and Ciel greeted Arran warmly. He excused himself while Ciel and Arran talked. Ciel noticed Arran's gaze of Luke and then questioned him about Luke.

"Well, Luke was faced with some rather mean people in the temple today. I was hoping that their words wouldn't affect him but I guess it did" Arran said.

"You've moved on from me, haven't you?" Ciel asked.

"Yeah. Jail made me think and I guess I feel calmer now" Arran replied.

"Do you have feelings for anyone?" Ciel asked.

"Not anyone yet, there aren't any single girls at the temple" Arran replied.

"What about guys?"

"Well, it's not exactly forbidden but I haven't really fallen for a guy"

"Isn't it a sign of closeness when you let someone call you by your given name?" Ciel asked.

"Yeah but Luke's like my best friend" Arran replied.

"You like him, Arran. Don't hurt him" Ciel said.

"Ciel, he was just molested by a random guy. He's not gay and neither am I. It would be just doing the same thing to him again" Arran said.

"You'll need to talk it out then. I don't know whether he's gay or not but you never know. I thought Alois was straight until he met Claude. You just need to meet the right person. Being male or female doesn't matter" Ciel said.

"I'm back. Kunimitsu, let's go and practice outside. I want to see how far you've gotten" Luke grabbed Arran's hand and pulled him outside.

"So he's back" Alois said looking out the window at Arran and Luke.

"I think it'll be nice for Luke, he needs someone to look up to" Ciel said.

"He'll take my brother away from me" Alois said.

"He won't. This will be good for Luke, he needs a friend" Ciel said.

"He's got a lot more than friendship in his mind" Alois said darkly and Ciel laughed.

"I need to go practice the duet with Darren at school. Behave" Ciel said and then left with Sebastian.

Claude walked over to Alois and wrapped his arms around the blond. Alois sighed and leaned against Claude's chest. Claude bent down to nip and kiss at Alois's neck. Alois closed his eyes as he felt all thoughts leave his mind.

"I want you to take me tonight" Claude whispered. Alois froze and turned.

"What do you mean?"

"I just realized that all this time, I've been the one taking you. I've been dominant for longer time but you've never even taken a move to dominate me" Claude replied.

"I'm yours forever, you know that"

"Then take me and make me yours" Claude said.

"What if I mess up?" Alois's eyes were full of fear and apprehension.

"I'll be there to guide you every step of the way" Claude leaned down to kiss him.


	70. M rated bonus chapter AloisxClaude

**This lemon was written by a guest reviewer who requested her name not to be put in the chapter. Thank you so much!**

**This chapter is rated M so for those who don't want to read it can skip onto the next chapter. This is only a bonus for those who love Alois/Claude as much as me and do.**

That night, Alois paced in his room. Claude's words were still echoing in his mind. Claude wanted Alois to claim him. Alois had no experience in satisfying a man. Well technically Claude was a demon and not a human but he was a man. Alois could feel his hands shake in nervousness and the door opened.

Claude stepped inside and closed it behind him. Alois watched him with apprehension and Claude focused his golden gaze on the blond. Alois gulped at the flame burning in those eyes and could feel himself grow hard at the sight. Claude slid his coat off his shoulders and his back vest too.

Alois stepped forward and kissed him. He was nearly as tall as Claude now and Claude wrapped his arms around his lover. He let Alois dominate tonight as per his wishes. Alois ran his tongue over every inch of Claude's mouth, tasting the sweet bitterness that was Claude's tongue. They pulled apart, a string of saliva trailing down Alois's lips.

Alois reached out and unbuttoned Claude's shirt. Claude raised his arms and flung his shirt across the room. He pulled off Alois's shirt easily and then hissed when Alois bent and bit delicately at Claude's nipple.

"Tell me where you feel good" Alois flashed his cerulean blue eyes at Claude which made Claude grow even more hard, if it was possible.

"Right where you were is fine" Claude replied and Alois gave the nipple an experimental lick. Then he attached his lips to the other nipple making Claude moan.

"We should take this to the bed. My knees hurt" Alois said. He grabbed Claude's hand and tossed him to the bed.

Claude unbuckled his belt and took off his pants. Alois did the same and straddled Claude. He began kissing Claude's neck and then trailed down to his stomach and then even lower. Claude hissed as Alois kissed his erection through his boxers. Claude reached down to take off his boxers when Alois's hand stopped him.

"I'm in charge tonight" Alois said with a teasing smirk. Claude groaned as Alois stroked Claude's erection through the boxers.

Alois took off his own underwear and then pulled off Claude's achingly slow. Claude breathed out in relief as his erection sprang free.

"This might hurt a little" Alois plunged one finger through Claude's entrance. It didn't hurt to Claude but he knew very well how much it hurt Alois when he did this to the blond.

Alois added a finger and made scissoring motions. He continued through this while kissing Claude and then readied himself at the demon's entrance.

"Ready?" Alois asked and Claude nodded.

Alois entered slowly and Claude nearly winced in pain. Is this how Alois felt when he entered him? Alois immediately pulled out, not wanting to cause any pain to his lover.

"Stay there! Just...let me adjust" Claude said.

Alois nodded and then pushed himself inside again. He paused for a moment until Claude nodded. Then he began thrusting in and out. He thrust in at one point and Claude moaned loudly.

"Did I find it?" Alois asked and Claude nodded.

He began thrusting vigorously. Claude moaned at every single thrust and then reached out to pump Alois's erection.

"Alois!" "Claude!" they both came screaming their lover's name.

Claude panted as Alois slid out and collapsed against the mattress in exhaustion.

"Was that okay?" Alois asked after he had caught his breath.

"It was perfect. Thank you" Claude replied with a lazy kiss.

"I think I finally have an appreciation for you being on top. You have to make sure I feel pleasure" Alois commented.

"I have an appreciation for all the pain you go through when I do this to you. I don't feel much pain but I'm sure it must be excruciating for you" Claude said.

"It's all worth it in the end" Alois said.

Claude wrapped his arms around Alois as Alois fell asleep. He kissed his lover once more before closing his eyes to feign sleep.


	71. Chapter 71

"Welcome back, Luke" Yukimura sensei said with a serene smile.

"Thank you, Yukimura sensei" Luke bowed low and felt the Master's graceful hand ruffle his red hair.

"I hope my sons did not offend you the last time you came to the temple. It was rather embarrassing, was it not?" Yukimura had a sorrowful look on his face.

"No, I didn't take any offense. May I ask something? Why did they react when I called Choi by his given name?" Luke asked.

"According to Japanese customs, if someone calls you by your given name it shows a high degree of closeness between you and the other person. It could be of close friends or even lovers" Yukimura replied.

Luke flushed, "Kunimitsu and I aren't lovers but I'd like to think we are close friends. I still don't understand why they reacted as such".

"My wife, Kaho, trusted a person named Li. At that time I had a daughter as well by the name of Hana. Kaho wanted Li to marry Hana. I agreed at my wife's request and let my daughter marry Li. Unfortunately Li wasn't the person we thought he was. He sold my daughter to a brothel. By the time we got her back, she was already gone in spirit. She died a month later" A tear ran down Yukimura's face.

"So Akira and Ibu think I'll betray Kunimitsu just like Li betrayed all of you?" Luke asked.

"Luke, they were only ten and twelve. Mere children. They did not understand what was going on around them. They grew closer as a protection but so far only Hikaru has managed to break their bubble and become friends with them. They use their offensive words to defend themselves" Yukimura replied.

"I guess understand where they're coming from. They're both insecure because of their pasts" Luke said.

"I knew you would understand. Don't mind their comments" Yukimura began walking and Luke followed beside him.

They walked along in silence as the birds chirped around them.

"Tell me, Luke, how did you meet Choi?" Yukimura asked.

"I met him when I was twelve. I was a kid that could barely reach your shoulder" Luke replied.

Yukimura chuckled, "Hard to believe since you are the same height as I am".

"Arran had escaped Deok Seong's temple and had come to live with us. He was in love with my sister Ciel. Well, she's not technically my sister but she's my brother's best friend. I really liked how Arran could fight against Deok Seong's warriors so I wanted to learn. He taught me a lot but then he left. I was really sad when he left"

"Why did he leave?" Yukimura asked.

"He said being around Ciel was too heartbreaking. Ciel has her own boyfriend, well fiancé now so she tried her best not to hurt Arran but his heart was broken anyway" Luke replied.

"How did you feel about all that?"

"At first I thought it was stupid. How could you love a person who would never love you back? All it caused him was pain. Then after he left, I actually cried for the longest time" Luke replied.

"You cried for yourself or for him?"

"For him of course. I cried because of the pain he was feeling" Luke replied.

"You did?" Luke whirled around and spotted Arran who had spoken.

"Well I shall leave the two of you" Yukimura walked away with a serene smile.

"Hi, Kunimitsu" Luke said.

"Is it true?" Arran asked.

"What?"

"That you cried for me"

Luke bit his lip and nodded. Arran could feel his heart swell with happiness. No one had ever cried for him before. Luke had cared enough, just enough to shed tears for him. Arran reached out and wrapped his arms around the red head. Luke turned beet red in embarrassment.

"Thank you" Arran said softly.

"For w-w-what?" Luke stuttered out.

"For caring" Arran replied pulling Luke flush against his body and letting himself fall against the soft grass. Luke squeezed his eyes shut as they impacted the ground and Arran held him tightly to prevent any injuries.

"Give me some warning next time. And also, I'm your best friend. I am supposed to care for you" Luke hit Arran's chest with his fist.

They lied together for a few minutes in silence and Luke traced the dragon on Arran's shoulder. Arran breathed in the sweet strawberry that was Luke's hair. It was quiet and peaceful. No one but the both of them, listening to the birds chirping and the wind blowing.

"What do we have here?" Luke stilled as Ibu's flat tone washed over him.

Arran sat up and pulled up Luke with him. He wrapped his arms around Luke securely. Luke glanced up at Ibu who was glaring at him.

"Why don't you just leave him alone? He can't hurt a fly" Arran said.

"You stay out of this, Choi. Hey, outsider" Luke looked up at Ibu. "You, me, spar now".

"Sure" Luke said.

"But Luke, you haven't practiced in a long time" Arran protested.

"Weren't you the one who said martial arts were in my blood? Well now is the time to prove it" Luke said.

They reached the sparring area and Luke pulled off his hoodie and long sleeved tee shirt. Ibu took off his robe and upper shirt leaving him in loose pants. Luke fell into a familiar ready stance and Ibu laughed.

"That's the most basic of stances" he scoffed and then took his stance which was a more complicated one.

Chitose-san rang the gong and Ibu took the first move. He kicked at Luke's chest but Luke sprang out of the way. He kept avoiding the attacks until Ibu tripped him and he fell against the grass.

"**Ganbatte, Niisan**!" Akira cheered.

"What is going on?" Yukimura asked appearing behind Akira.

"Um Father, Ibu's just having a friendly spar with the outsider" Akira replied with a nervous laugh.

"Let us see the outcome then" Yukimura turned to the two opponents.

Ibu sprang forward and Luke kicked his foot, making Ibu fall. Quick as lightening, Luke hit a series of places on Ibu's side and Ibu collapsed onto the floor.

"Luke-kun wins" Chitose-san said.

"Yes! I knew you could do it!" Arran said.

"Impossible! You just used the basic moves. I've trained harder than you and know more moves than you!" Ibu yelled.

"Ibu, sometimes we forget the basics. Basics are the beginning and sometimes they become the most important weapon in battle" Yukimura said.

"Whatever. Let's go Akira" Ibu stalked off. Akira hurried after him with Ibu's robes.

"Well done, Luke. It seems Choi has taught you well" Yukimura said.

"Thank you" Luke bowed and felt Yukimura ruffle his hair.

"Here" Arran handed Luke a wet towel.

Luke wiped the sweat off his body and then put on his clothes. Yukimura chuckled lightly when he saw Arran staring at Luke.

"Maybe something might just happen between those two" He whispered to Chitose who rolled his eyes.

"You are too meddling for your own good" Chitose said.

"But you love for that, don't you Chitose?" Yukimura took a step back and his fingers brushed Chitose's calloused hand.

An uncharacteristic blush came on Chitose's neck and ears. He coughed uncomfortably as Yukimura leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"I shall see you at the tea ceremony then" Yukimura sighed and then walked away from the sparring area.

Chitose nodded even thought Yukimura had already left.

**Ganbatte, niisan – do your best, big brother**


	72. Chapter 72

"Ciel Phantomhive!" the headmaster of St. Rudolph Academy announced and there was applause as Ciel came up the steps in her graduation gown.

The gown was in the colors of St. Rudolph colors of black and blue. Ciel kept a large smile on her face as she walked towards Mr. Matthews who handed her the diploma and hugged her. She joined the rest of the graduates and gave high fives to the students in her Music class. In the audience she could see Luke jumped up and down, nearly dislocating Arran's arm in the process. Sebastian and Claude were applauding calmly but she could see the proud smiles on their faces.

"Alois Trancy!"

Ciel cheered as Alois came onto the stage. Nearly everyone at school had accepted Alois as being gay and of course cheers went through the roof when he came on stage.

"Parents, I present to you the graduating class of St. Rudolph's High 2012/2013!"

The graduations caps were tossed up into the air as cheers and screams went through the auditorium. Ciel hugged Alois who started crying into her shoulder. After the chaotic ceremony, they went to have lunch in the school courtyard.

"Congratulations!" Luke glomped Ciel.

"Thank you" Ciel said nearly stumbling but Sebastian caught her before she could fall.

Some girls from the lower years came running to Sebastian "Mr. Michaelis! Is it true you're leaving?".

"Well you see, I have a fiancée now and I'll need to be close to her. I love her and I want to make her happy" Sebastian replied with a smile.

Alois made a motion of barfing while Ciel blushed. Claude coughed and one girl latched on Sebastian's arm.

"Why don't you eat lunch with us, Mr. Michaelis?"

"I'm sorry, Gemma but I already told then I'll have lunch with them. I am truly sorry" Sebastian shrugged off her arm and sat down between Ciel and Luke.

"Congratulations, guys" Arran said.

"Thank you" Alois and Ciel chorused.

"So what are your plans to celebrate?" Arran asked.

"We're going to New Caledonia" Alois replied gesturing to himself and Claude.

"He's taking me somewhere but it's a surprise" Ciel replied.

"Wow that would be really amazing. It's going to be lonely at the mansion" Luke said.

"You could come stay with me" Arran offered.

"Really? Ibu and Akira won't mind? What about Yukimura sensei?" Luke asked.

"Yukimura sensei already loves you. Chitose really loved the painting you sent him and Yanase-san was amazed that you wanted to learn how to cook sushi. Sakura and Tsukiro don't mind you. Hikaru loves your pranks. Ibu and Akira, well, I'll deal with them" Arran replied.

"You sure?" Luke asked with a pout and Arran blushed.

"Yeah I'm sure" Arran replied.

The next day, Alois and Claude left for New Caledonia. Luke packed his bags and left for Seishun Gardens. Sebastian packed Ciel's bag, insisting that he didn't want to ruin the surprise. Ciel herself was rather nervous. She knew that Sebastian was planning to turn her into a demon during this trip. Was there something that she was supposed to do? Would it hurt?

"I could hear your wild heartbeat a mile away" Sebastian said as the plane landed at their destination.

"You know the reason better than I do" Ciel replied taking his hand.

"There is nothing to be nervous about. You'll be just fine" Sebastian reassured her.

Ciel nodded and before she knew it, they were already at the hotel via a boat ride. She looked up at the name and her mouth fell open in shock.

"What's wrong?" Sebastian asked.

"You brought me to Borabora? Oh my god, I've always wanted to go to Borabora" Ciel said forgetting her nerves for a minute.

"Well since Alois and Claude went to Caledonia, I decided we should go somewhere sunny and beautiful as well" Sebastian replied.

"Last one in the water is a rotten egg!" Ciel said and ran towards the water.

Sebastian zipped past her easily and threw himself in the water, clothes and all. Ciel hesitated for a moment but Sebastian grabbed her ankle and pulled her in. She screamed bloody murder as she flailed but Sebastian held her tightly.

"Don't do that!" Ciel beat her fists on Sebastian's chest who bent down and nuzzled her neck.

Ciel arched her back and they heard a wolf whistle. Sebastian growled and turned around. Three guys, all of them tanned and muscular were cheering.

"Wow, what a babe" One of them said.

"Dude, if you're done with her, pass her on to us" The second said and they all laughed.

"Why I-" "Leave them alone" Ciel said with a hand on Sebastian's arm.

"But Ciel..." "Leave them be. Let's go inside".

Sebastian climbed out of the water onto their dock and then pulled Ciel up. He placed an arm around Ciel's waist and led her inside.

"Can I just punch them?" Sebastian asked as he took off his wet shirt.

"No. No violence while we're here" Ciel replied. She stripped off her shorts and tee and wore a long red maxi dress.

"So what should we do first? There's a tour which is going to see dolphins. Or we could go for lunch first and then plan something" Sebastian said.

"Let's go for lunch. All that diving and kissing made me hungry" Ciel replied.

"Hungry for food or hungry for me?" Sebastian asked wrapping his arms around her.

"Both. But I need the energy. Come on, let's go" Ciel said.

He took her hand and they walked around for a bit until they found the restaurant.

"Hello, my name is Mario. I'll be your waiter for the day" Mario was tanned and muscular but he looked quite young.

"We'll have a goulash to share with red wine" Ciel replied.

"Coming right up" Mario walked away.

"This place is so beautiful" Ciel commented.

"It is quite relaxing. If only we didn't have bastards next door" Sebastian said.

"Okay stop thinking about them. We're here to relax and have fun. Let's just have fun" Ciel took Sebastian's hand and squeezed it.

"Goulash to share and red wine" Mario announced and he served them. He opened the red wine and poured it out.

"So what kind of entertainment is there at night?" Ciel asked.

"There's a nightclub in this restaurant. There's also star gazing and the midnight boat ride" Mario replied.

"Should we go star gazing? I'm not in the mood for busting a move" Sebastian asked with a wink which Ciel understood immediately.

"Sure" She replied.

That night, they walked together on the beach. Mario had been right. The stars were beautiful and Ciel felt like this was the most beautiful place on earth. Sebastian stopped and then took off his shirt and pants. He was wearing swimming trunks underneath.

"What do you think of a midnight swim?" he asked before wading into the water.

"Sure" Ciel stripped off her maxi dress and waded into the water dressed in a one piece bathing suit.

She wrapped her arms around Sebastian and hugged him. Sebastian rubbed her back, trying to ease her nervousness.

"Are you ready?" she heard Sebastian ask. She looked up and nodded. Sebastian placed a hand on her heart and she closed her eyes.

There was a sickening crack that echoed around the water. Ciel slumped against Sebastian, her chest wide open and bleeding.

"I'm sorry. I hope it wasn't painful" Sebastian whispered before they sank into the water together.


	73. Chapter 73

She was floating. It was rather warm but not hot. Ciel could gradually feel her senses return to her. She could hear a baby screaming in room 302, the moans of a couple in room 501 and the birds chirping all the way to the other side of the island. The feeling came back in her limbs and she flexed her fingers experimentally.

Her eyes blinked opened and she squinted through the incredibly bright light. The lights dimmed and she opened her eyes normally. She was dressed in sleep shorts and a tank top. She kicked the covers off and stood up.

"Sebastian?" Ciel looked around and then spotted his shadow on the curtains.

She walked out to the docks and then stopped. Sebastian was standing with his hands behind his back. He was dressed in jeans and a tank top. His hair blew with the strong breeze and Ciel took a tentative step forward. Sebastian turned and then smiled.

"Did you...do it?" Ciel asked quietly.

"Yes"

Ciel smiled and then ran towards him. He caught her easily but they both tumbled into the water. Ciel eyes flashed red as she kissed Sebastian with a deep hunger she didn't realise she had. Sebastian kissed her back while tearing her shorts and tank top off her. Ciel fought out in the water but then soon realized that she didn't need to breath. Sebastian thrust into her and she gasped out in pleasure.

"Ciel!" "Sebastian!"

She held onto him tightly as they sank to the bottom in a haze of pleasure and weakness. Then Sebastian caught onto his senses and swam back up to the surface. He ran back into their room with his demonic speed and then laid Ciel down on the bed.

"Are you alright? I don't know what came over me. We shouldn't have done that just yet. You still need to get used to your senses and hunger" Sebastian dressed her in a robe and tied in securely.

"I'm fine, just a little weak" Ciel replied.

"You need to feed. Come" Sebastian urged her up and then dragged her to the room where the three men stayed.

"I can't just take their souls" Ciel said as Sebastian picked the lock.

"If you don't, I will" He pushed open the door and they crept inside. The only light came from a desk lap where the first man was slumped over, asleep.

"Follow your instincts. Breathe and then just eat" Sebastian said.

Ciel closed her eyes and then took deep breaths. She scented something tasty and licked her lips. She took a step forward; her eyes still shut and reached out her hand. There was a sickening crack and blood poured down the man's front. Ciel breathed out as she licked the blood away from her lips.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Sebastian gestured to the other two.

Ciel quickly finished them off and they went back to their room. She sat down on the bed and then wiped her bloody lips.

"You're mastering control pretty well. Many humans reborn as demons usually have horrible temper problems" Sebastian said.

"The first one's soul was lovely. The second's was okay but the last one was nasty" Ciel said.

"Depends on how much pain a person goes through, love. You ancestor's soul was simply delicious. He held so much hatred in his heart but his soul remained white and pure. It was like eating the sweetest thing on earth with a twinge of sourness" Sebastian replied.

"It's strange but not so different. The heightened senses are definitely a plus" Ciel commented.

"Claude and Alois called while you were asleep. They're enjoying themselves in Caledonia. Apparently when Alois heard that you were now becoming a demon, he began whining to Claude to change him. I don't know how that will turn out" Sebastian said.

"Did Luke call?" Ciel asked.

"No. I think he'll call tomorrow. He enjoys his time at the temple" Sebastian replied.

"Come here, love" Ciel held her arms out.

Sebastian sat down next to her and she wrapped her arms around him. Sebastian kissed the curve of her neck and then closed his eyes. Ciel chuckled as his long bangs tickled her neck like they always did.

"So we can't sleep. What should we do now?" Sebastian asked.

"How about we go check out that night club tomorrow night?" Ciel suggested.

"Oh of course. Dress decently. I don't want to fight perverts off all night" Sebastian replied.

"I'll fight them off myself" Ciel said.

Back in UK, Luke sat in a clearing at Seishun Gardens painting. He had taken the opportunity of everyone being asleep to sketch the trees with the light of the moon. He hummed quietly as he sketched and then heard a twig snap. He sat up straight and looked around.

"Do not worry, Luke, it is I" Yukimura sensei appeared from the trees.

"You scared me, sensei" Luke said standing up.

"You should be in bed by now. Choi came to me a few minutes ago saying you weren't in bed" Yukimura said.

"I'm not used to going to bed at ten. I usually fall asleep after midnight. The night was so beautiful so I decided to sketch" Luke replied.

"It is already three in the morning. Come, to bed with you"

Luke nodded and then went to Arran's room. Arran's room was farther away from the temple than everyone else's. Luke slid back the door and was immediately hugged by Arran.

"Kunimitsu, what-?" "I thought someone took you away. I was so worried, I even interrupted Yukimura sensei's nightly meditation" Arran said holding onto Luke tightly.

"Kunimitsu, I'm fine. I just went out to sketch the trees. I'm sorry I worried you" Luke said.

"Just don't do that again, okay?"

"Okay"

Luke lied down on the futon and then let his blush overtake his cheeks. He heard Arran snore quietly and then turned over. He smiled when he saw Arran's peaceful face and then reached out to trace his cheek. This was Luke's nightly routine. When Arran would fall asleep, Luke would usually trace his nose or touch his lips. There was this overwhelming pull that would overtake him.

Luke knew this feeling well but he had never felt it so strong for anyone before. The only person he had ever liked was a girl who was in the same class as he was. She had shaggy brown hair and deep brown eyes. She never bothered to do her hair and she was more a tomboy than the other girls who did their makeup or dressed in pink girly clothes. Luke had attempted to confess to her but she hadn't even given him the time of the day.

"Kunimitsu, I think I love you" Luke said and then he turned over with a bright red blush.

Arran smiled, his eyes still shut when he heard Luke's admission. He let out another snore and then turned over, the silly smile overtaking his face.


	74. Chapter 74

"Do we have to go back? I wish we could stay here longer" Ciel said as she climbed into the plane.

"We have all the time in the world now" Sebastian said. He opened up the overhead baggage lockers and placed their small bag inside.

"I can't wait to see everyone again. I miss home" Ciel said cuddling into his side the minute he sat down.

"A minute ago you were saying you wished to stay here longer. Now, you want to leave. Make up your mind" Sebastian said and Ciel punched him on the arm playfully.

"Those two are so cute" They heard a girl from two seats behind them say.

"The girl is so pretty. I wish I was her. Her boyfriend's so hot" Her friend said.

Ciel and Sebastian glanced at each other and then began to laugh. The plane took off, taking them away from their little paradise to London.

Luke sighed as he dragged his bag out of Arran's room. It was finally time to leave. These two weeks had to be the best two weeks in his life. He had enjoyed himself with everyone and even gotten back to his training. Akira had finally decided to go against his brother and had become friendly rivals with Luke. Ibu still ignored him but Luke figured that you can't teach a horse to drink if he didn't want to, so he didn't bother Ibu.

"Goodbye, Luke. Make sure you visit" Yukimura said as he hugged Luke.

"I will when I'm not busy. Thank you for the training sessions" Luke said hugging the master.

"This is for you" Chitose-san came and handed a package to Luke.

"Chitose makes the finest robes. He had made two pairs for you to wear during your training" Yukimura said.

"Thank you" Luke looked around and then sighed. Arran was nowhere in sight. He turned and then heard Arran calling him back.

"Luke, wait!"

Luke turned and Arran threw his arms around the red head. Luke froze up for a second but then hugged the warrior back.

"I'm going to tell you this every day, so listen carefully" Arran paused for a second. "I love you"

Luke's eyes fluttered shut as the words absorbed themselves into his mind. He held onto Arran tightly until Hannah tapped him gently on the shoulder. They pulled apart and Arran kissed Luke's forehead.

"I'll come see you tomorrow, okay?" Arran intertwined their fingers together.

"Yeah. I'll be waiting" Luke said with a small smile.

He turned around and shouldered his bag. He gave them all one last smile and wave. Arran waved until Luke got into the car and it drove off.

"You'll see him again" Yukimura said with a hand on Arran's shoulder.

Ciel grinned when she saw the mansion coming into view. She bounced up and down in anticipation. Sebastian chuckled and then turned right. He stopped at the gate and then got out to press the code. Ciel froze and then got out of the car.

"I can sense Hannah in the kitchens. The triplets are at the other side of the gate. Claude's in Alois's room and Luke's in his room. Where's Alois?" Ciel turned to look at Sebastian in fear.

"Concentrate. Alois is in the mansion" Sebastian said with a smile.

Ciel closed her eyes and then concentrated. Then she heard it. Alois was there. He had masked his scent carefully.

"Alois...is a demon now?" Ciel asked opening her eyes and Sebastian nodded.

"Let's go inside" Sebastian got back in the car and Ciel followed him.

They drove through the long driveway and then stopped right at the door. Ciel got out and pushed open the front doors of the manor.

"I'm home!"

"Ciel!" Luke bounded down the stairs and glomped Ciel. This time she didn't stumble, but held him up on her own two feet.

"Don't tell me you're a..." Luke began but his voice trailed off.

"Yes I'm a demon" Ciel replied and Luke grinned.

"That's cool because Alois is one too!"

"Welcome back, Ciel" Alois said as he walked down the stairs.

"Wow, nice haircut" Ciel commented. She walked towards Alois and then ran a hand through his new spiked blond hair.

"I thought I could try something new for the new me" Alois replied.

"I'm going to grow out my hair. I will be getting married so I have to grow my hair own for that" Ciel said.

"Your short hair suits you better. It looks more feminine" Luke said.

"So when's the wedding?" Alois asked.

"A week before we move into an apartment in London so I can be closer to my university" Ciel replied.

"Congrats on getting into LSE" Alois said.

"You as well. UCL isn't easy to get into" Ciel said.

"We have much to plan for the wedding. It will take rather long to invite guests" Claude said.

"I want to have a small private wedding. We can invite Her Majesty first. Then Luke's friends from Seishun Gardens. After that our close friends from school" Ciel said.

"That would be perfect" Sebastian said wrapping his arms around Ciel.

A few weeks later, the wedding commenced. Ciel walked down the aisle wearing a beautiful white floral gown with her hair cut into a sleek boy cut ala Anne Hathaway. Her Majesty had been unable to attend but Ciel bore no hard feelings. The Queen had never been the same after discovering the treachery of her son.

A few days later, Claude and Alois registered themselves as gay partners. They had decided not to jump into marriage but wore promise rings embossed with their initials. Luke and Arran had moved into together at Seishun Gardens and the mansion was converted again into a museum of fine art. Luke frequently also had viewings of his art there.

"We're happy and that's all that matters" Ciel said as she kissed Sebastian.

They currently stood on the balcony of their apartment, arms woved around each other.

"I'm glad I found you" Sebastian said.

"I'm glad I met you. Otherwise I would have still been that jaded little girl who lost her parents and hated the world".

"You wouldn't have been that jaded girl. You're too strong and amazing to fall like that".

"Really?"

"Yes"

"I love you Sebastian"

"I love you too, Ciel".

**One more chapter to go!**


	75. Epilogue

"Klaus Alan Michaelis, don't you dare lock your little brother in the closet again!" Ciel screeched and Klaus ran off laughing.

Ciel sighed and hurriedly pulled open the closet door where her youngest son was crying in the corner.

"Oh, Elijah. Don't cry, sweetheart" Ciel said taking her two year old in her arms.

Elijah sniffled and buried his head into her mother's neck. There was a throat clearing and Ciel turned around.

"Did Klaus lock him in the dark again?" Sebastian asked with a frown.

"Yes. Sebastian, can you do something about him? He won't listen to me. This is the third time this week" Ciel replied.

"I'll talk to him" Sebastian said.

"He needs a proper punishment" Ciel said.

"I shall alert the triplets to find him" Sebastian said. He kissed his wife and child before walking away. Ciel looked back to the child in her arms and then walked out of the closet.

"Elijah, let's go down to the kitchens. Hannah must have some blood in the fridge" Ciel said walking down the hallway.

"Blood?" Elijah's black haired head rose up.

"Yes, just for you. Klaus and Nicholas won't get any" Ciel said.

"Yay!" Elijah clapped his hands and Ciel laughed.

"I have found the troublemaker, mother" Ciel stopped short when her first son came towards her holding Klaus by the collar.

"Good work, Nicholas. Deliver him to your father for proper punishment" Ciel said.

"Right away, mother" Nicholas turned and then walked away. He turned a corner and disappeared.

"Mum, my treat" Elijah said pulling on a lock of Ciel's hair.

"Let's go" Ciel began walking again and then reached the kitchens. She sat him down with blood which Elijah began drinking with fervor.

It was strange, she mused, that even though she disliked children she loved her own so much. She still remembered when Nicholas was born. He had been a quiet and polite child, never bothering his parents. He was the only child who had inherited Sebastian's burgundy red eyes. At the moment he was only a year away from becoming a full adult demon and many times he scared her at how similar he was to his father.

Finding out a correct diet for demon children was a problem. Ciel learnt that for years that a demon was a child he had to drink pure human blood. It was disgusting to think of but Ciel had to raise kids after all.

Klaus was her second born and he had a mischievous streak that neither Sebastian nor Ciel possessed. Klaus looked almost like Ciel with her blue eyes and black hair tinged with blue but his face was undoubtedly masculine, reminding her of her father in his baby pictures.

Her last born looked almost like Nicholas except his hair was curly and blond like Ciel's mother. He had Ciel's blue eyes and possessed a desire to read and learn. All of Ciel's children didn't need to eat any human food but because of Luke and Arran, they had been introduced to human food and could now ingest some human food without barfing it out. Sebastian had agreed that it was one way to keep pretenses while they lived in the human world.

"Mum, I got blood on my nose" Elijah said and Ciel wiped his nose off with a tissue.

Sebastian walked into the kitchens. Klaus trailed behind him with Nicholas who looked dignified as always.

"What are you going to say to Elijah?" Sebastian asked looking down at his second son.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again" Klaus replied and Elijah stared at his brother.

"And?" Sebastian prompted.

"I'll play with you today. No more tricks from now on. Promise" Klaus said.

Elijah didn't say a word and then pushed his glass of blood to Klaus. Klaus sat down and then began sharing the drink with his brother. Nicholas smiled at the sight of his two brothers.

"Alois and Claude should be coming over soon, right?" Ciel asked.

"In half an hour to be exact" Sebastian replied.

"I shall get my siblings ready, mother" Nicholas said.

"Thank you, Nicholas. You're such a darling" Ciel said.

Nicholas nodded and urged his brothers to follow him upstairs. Ciel leaned against the chair and then found Sebastian's face inches from hers. There was something amazing in kissing someone upside down, Ciel mused as she pressed her lips against Sebastian's. They had worked out a rule that they wouldn't make out in front of the kids but instead exchanged chaste kisses. However, when the kids weren't around, it was a different story.

"No, I don't want to wear this! It makes me look like a dork!" They heard Klaus whine from upstairs.

"Dork!" Elijah parroted.

Sebastian and Nicholas sighed simultaneously making Ciel chuckle.

"He acts so much like you, it scares me" Ciel commented, standing up.

"We need to go hunting soon. Elijah needs to learn" Sebastian said.

"We're not going with Alois this time. He doesn't watch my kids and splatters blood everywhere" Ciel said as they walked up the stairs.

The doorbell rang and before they knew it, Klaus was already downstairs hugging Alois.

"Uncle Alois!"

Laughter erupted from Ciel as Elijah and Klaus glomped Alois.

"Let go of Papa!" A shrill voice said.

"Don't hit me!" came Klaus's voice.

Nicholas sighed and shook his head. He took Elijah into his arms and then dragged Klaus back by the collar. He bowed his head and apologized for his sibling's behavior.

"It's fine, Nicky" Nicholas winced when Alois called him by his childhood nickname.

"It's great to see you again, Alois, Claude" Ciel said hugging both of them.

"You too, C" Alois hugged his best friend tightly.

"Auntie Ciel!" the same shrill voice belonged to Alois and Claude's daughter Roslyn. Ciel smiled when her little arms wrapped around her waist.

"Hi, Rosie. How are you?" Ciel held the girl at an arm's length and admired her black hair with purple tint. Her gold eyes were large and she was usually more curious than a cat.

"How is Luke doing?" Sebastian asked later when they were all seated with the younger children fighting on the floor in front of them.

"He's gone a two year long journey with Arran. Arran wants to become an official master so he needs to go on this journey and prove himself" Alois replied.

"That sounds difficult" Ciel commented.

"He can handle it" Alois said dismissively.

After everyone had left, all the kids were left with Sebastian. They had worked out a schedule that all the kids would be left with their father who would educate them. So far Nicholas was a rather serious student but Klaus had a short attention span and Elijah copied his brother as always but many times had an insight that no one else could argue with.

"It's been five years. Five long, exhausting, happy years" Ciel commented placing an arm around Sebastian's shoulders and kissing him.

"Eww... Mum, you know I don't like it when you do that!" Klaus whined.

He was slapped by Nicholas on the back of his head. "Let Mother and Father have their peace. You bother them enough".

"Yeah! Mum, hug?" Elijah held his arms out.

Ciel took Elijah in her arms and hugged him. Sebastian leaned down and kissed his youngest son's forehead. Elijah cuddled into his mother's chest and Klaus stepped forward to the couch where his parents and Elijah were seated. Ciel patted the space next to her and Klaus sat down. Sebastian reached over and ruffled Klaus's blue black hair.

Nicholas sat down on the floor in front of Sebastian's legs. Ciel smiled at her husband's lookalike and then dropped a kiss on his forehead. Sebastian patted his eldest son on the back and then tickled Elijah.

"It's just us. Our happy little family" Ciel said.

"Hey, mum. Why don't you add another member already?" Klaus asked.

"Maybe when both of you grow a bit. I'm always ready for children" Ciel replied.

"I love you, Mother, Father" Nicholas said.

"Yeah, um, I love you too" Klaus turned beet red.

"Love you!" Elijah squealed.

"We all love you too" Sebastian said and Ciel nodded.

After all this, they had finally gotten what they wanted. Family, peace and love. There was nothing more they needed.

**And finally this story is over. I had fun writing it but most of the time the characters would do what they wanted and I just went with the flow. Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, favorites and everything else. This was my first serious story in Kuroshitsuji and I'm happy to see it was well received.**

**Thank you to Panda and our anonymous writer for the incredible lemon chapters.**

**I have a sequel out as well if anyone wants to read it.**

**Bye and see you all soon with another story.**

**Onyxinlife**


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